Who is Sei-Young Kim?
She’s one of the leading Koreans in the women’s game, but who is Sei-Young Kim? Find out more with our player profile here…
Sei-Young Kim is one of several experienced, major-winning South Koreans currently plying their trade on the LPGA Tour.
Born in the Korean capital of Seoul in January 1993, Kim took up the game without any influences from her family. She turned professional at the age of 17 in 2010, and spent the next five years on the LPGA Tour of Korea, playing alongside studying at Korea University. She won five times on the KLPGA in a two-year spell from 2013 to 2014.
After that, she graduated to the LPGA Tour, and became an instant winner. She won in just her second start on the tour, and scored three victories in her first year, as she swept the LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year award. Five years later, thanks to her maiden major victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Kim was named LPGA Tour Player of the Year.
In total, she is a 17-time winner as a professional, with 12 of those coming on the LPGA Tour. She also holds both scoring records for a single event, as her aggregate score of 257 and score to par of -31 set the new bests at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Championship in 2018.
Sei-Young Kim | Player Profile
Personal Information
Name: Sei-Young Kim
Born: January 21, 1993
Nationality: South Korea
Residence: Seoul, South Korea
Career
College: Korea University
Turned Pro: 2010
Professional Wins: 17
Highest World Ranking: 2 – October 12, 2020
Best Results In Majors
Best Finishes:
– Chevron Championship – T3 (2021)
– Women’s PGA Championship – WON (2020)
– US Women’s Open – T8 (2017)
– Amundi Evian Championship – T2 (2018)
– AIG Women’s Open – T4 (2018)
Professional Wins – 17
2013 (3) – Lotte Mart Women’s Open, Hanwha Finance Classic, MetLife-Hankyung KLPGA Championship
2014 (2) – Woori Investment & Securities Ladies Championship, MBN Ladies Open with ONOFF
2015 (3) – Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, LPGA Lotte Championship, Blue Bay LPGA
2016 (2) – JTBC Founders Cup, Meijer LPGA Classic
2017 (1) – Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Match Play
2018 (1) – Thornberry Creek LPGA Championship
2019 (3) – LPGA Mediheal Championship, Marathon Classic, CME Tour Group Championship
2020 (2) – KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Pelican Women’s Championship
Achievements and Awards
LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year – 2015
Race to CME Globe – 2019
LPGA Tour Player of the Year – 2020
Sei-Young Kim | What’s In Her Bag?
Kim uses TaylorMade clubs at the top of her bag, with the M5 driver accompanied by SIM fairway woods and hybrids. The Mizuno MMC irons and a trio of Titleist Vokey SM8 wedges, along with a Scotty Cameron putter, complete the bag.
You can read more with our full piece on the South Korean’s bag here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Sei-Young Kim
When and where was Sei-Young Kim born?
Sei-Young Kim was born in the South Korean capital of Seoul in January 1993. She took up the game herself, with the influence of countrywoman Se Ri Pak.
When did Sei-Young Kim turn professional?
Sei-Young Kim turned professional in 2010, at the age of just 17. She spent the first few years of her career on the LPGA Tour of Korea, before making the move up to the LPGA Tour.
How many LPGA Tour titles has Sei-Young Kim won?
As of early 2024, Sei-Young Kim is a 12-time winner on the LPGA Tour. Those victories include a major, which came at the 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She also has five wins on the LPGA Tour of Korea.
Did you Know?
Scoring Record Holder
Kim was in amazing form at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic in 2018. Not only did she win by nine shots, but each of her four rounds was a 65 or better, and she broke both scoring records. She finished the tournament 31-under-par, with an aggregate score of an amazing 257.
One and Done In Playoffs
Kim has been involved in five sudden-death playoffs during her LPGA Tour career. Each one of those has been finished after the first hole, and won with at least birdie. The Korean won her first four play-offs, thanks to three birdies and an eagle on each of the extra holes. She then lost out at the 2021 Pelican Women’s Championship to Nelly Korda, but once again, it was done after just one extra hole.
Other Sei-Young Kim Articles
How good do you think Sei-Young Kim has been in her career so far? Can the Korean win more major titles? Let us know your thoughts with a post on X, formerly Twitter!
Matt Coles
Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…
Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.
He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.
Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…
Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.
