Updated: February, 2024

HAE RYM KIM

The Facts

Birthday: September 8, 1989
Rookie Year on KLPGA: 2012
Best LPGA Finish:
T-16th (2017 Lotte Championship)
Best LPGA Major Finish: None
Height: 5' 5"
2024 LPGA Status: None; plays on KLPGA
Nicknames: AKA Hae Rim Kim
Sponsors: Samchully
How's her English?: Unknown
Road to the LPGA: Kim plays on the KLPGA

Capsule Bio

Hae Rim Kim turned pro and joined the KLPGA in 2008. She played on the Dream tour in 2008, but in 2009 graduated to the main KLPGA. She played on that tour for two years, her best result a 13th place.

In 2011, she returned to the Dream Tour. Her hard work finally paid off, and she dominated. She won three times and notched 13 total top tens to easily capture the top spot on that tour's money list. In late 2011, she was given a sponsorship deal with Nefs, and played on the KLPGA in 2012.

 

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Before the season started, Kim played at the New South Wales Open on the Australian tour, notching a tie for 6th finish. This was the same tournament won by 14 year old Korean-New Zealander Lydia Ko.

Kim has promised that she will donate 10% of all her winnings to charity, and has done so ever since she turned pro, even in years when she did not make much money.

Kim played on the KLPGA in 2013. She had a good year, finishing 25th on the money list with over 155 million won earned. She had 5 top tens, with the highlight being back-to-back 3rd place finishes at the Nefs Masterpiece and MBN Kim Young Joo Golf Women's Open.

Kim had another good season in 2014. She finished 17th on the money list with over 220 million won earned. She had four top tens, her best finish being a runner-up at the Cheju Samdasoo Masters in the summer.

2015 was a big breakthrough season for Hae Rym Kim. Although she was not able to win, she collected 12 top tens and came close to winning several times. Her best finishes were runner up results in back-to-back events in the fall. At the Pak Se Ri Invitational, she had the second round lead, but lost by a shot to budding superstar Sung Hyun Park. The nest week, she played her first LPGA event, the Hana Bank, and though she faded late, still finished tied for 36th.

Then came the KLPGA's fourth Major, the KB Star. Again, Kim played great, grabbing a two shot lead after three rounds. In the final round, she was paired with KLPGA superstars In Gee Chun and Jung Min Lee. She managed to hold them off most of the day, but a bogey on the final hole cost her the title, which went to Chun.

Kim wound up making 417 million won and finishing 9th on the year's money list.

Kim had an even better 2016 season. She finished 6th on the tour money list with more than 618 million won earned. Her biggest moment came at the year's last Major, the KB Star Championship, which she won. She also won the Kyochon Honey Ladies Open in May. In addition to the two wins, she had a runner up, two thirds, and 10 total top tens.

Kim also played in the ING Champions and the Kowa Queens representing the KLPGA team. At the ING, Kim lost both team matches but beat Q Baek in the singles 3 & 1. At the Kowa, Kim teamed with Seung Hyun Lee to take down Aussies Su Oh and SJ Smith 4 & 3. She also won her singles match against Japan's Shinokawa 3 & 2.

Kim started her 2017 season with a bang by winning the World Ladies Championship in China; the event is jointly sponsored by the LET and KLPGA. Not long after that, she played in her sponsor Lotte's LPGA tournament in Hawaii and scored a respectable tie for 16th.

But Kim saved her best for the KLPGA. She had a fantastic season, finishing 5th on the money list with over 738 million won earned. She won three tournaments, including the KB Star Tour Finale, a Major. She earned nine other top tens. At the end of the year, she played on the KLPGA team at the Kowa Queens, winning both her team match and singles match in the KLPGA's runner-up finish at the team event.

She started 2018 at the same torrid pace as 2017, winning her first KLPGA event of the year, the Kyochon Honey Chicken Ladies Open. She had only one other top ten after that, and finished 42nd on the money list with 166 million won earned.

Kim also played on the JLPGA tour in 2018. She finished 59th on their money list with less than 20 million yen earned. She had three top tens during the season; her best finish was a solo 5th.

Kim was back on the KLPGA in 2019. She had a mediocre season by her standards, finishing 61st on the money list with a little more than 101 million won earned. Her best finishes were a pair of 14th places.

In 2020, the world was hit with the Covid19 pandemic. All sports leagues, including the LPGA and KLPGA, were massively affected by it; many events were canceled or shifted around the schedule, and fans were forbidden from attending. Kim's best finish all year was a 7th at the Korea Women's Open; she also had a pair of 10th place results. She finished 38th on the money list with 133 million won earned.

In 2021, Hae Rym had a better year, finishing 21st on the money list with nearly 313 million won earned. She only had three top tens, but one of those was a win, at the McCol Mona Park Open in early July.

Hae Rim only made 112 million won in 2022, 77th on the money list. She had one top ten, an 8th place. However, she played her first 2023 event in December of 2022 at the Singapore Open and notched a 6th, better than any other finish that calendar year.

Hae Rym ended up with a decent year in 2023: she finished 56th on the money list with 191 million won earned. She had two top tens for the year.

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