Updated: February, 2024

SI WON KIM

The Facts

AKA Min Sun Kim 5
Birthday:
February 9, 1995
Rookie Year on KLPGA: 2014
Birthplace: South Korea
Best LPGA Finish: T-3rd (2016 KEB Hana Bank Championship)
Best LPGA Major Finish: None
Height: 5' 9"
2024 LPGA Status: On KLPGA Tour; Retired
Nicknames: None Known
Sponsors: NY
How's her English?: Unknown
Hobbies: Unknown
Road to the LPGA: Retired from KLPGA

Capsule Bio

Min Sun Kim was one of the top amateur golfers in Korea in her mid to late teens. She played often on the Korean National Team. Her most memorable win there was when she teamed with fellow superstars Hyo Joo Kim and Kyu Jung Baek to demolish the opposition at the 2012 Women's World Amateur Team Golf Championship.

Kim turned pro in 2013 and played developmental tours, eventually earning full membership on the KLPGA. Her rookie year there was 2014. She had a fantastic season, and found herself locked in a fierce battle for Rookie of the Year with fellow teens Jin Young Ko and her former teammate Baek. They stayed within roughly 100 points of each other all season, and even with two events to go, the eventual winner was in doubt. Kim made it more interesting by winning her first and only event of the season at the ADT-CAPS, beating two others in a playoff. In the end, however, Baek squeaked out the Rookie title, with Kim finishing third.

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Seoul Sisters Pix

Kim had a great year even though she missed out on the top Rookie honors. She had 12 top tens, including the win and runner-up finishes at the YTN Volvik and the Pak Se Ri Invitational, where she lost a 5-hole playoff to Min Young Lee. She wound up making nearly 419 million won for the year, good for 11th on the money list.

Min Sun had a better 2015 season. Once again she won one tournament, this time the EDaily Ladies Open in May. But she made more money than in 2014, collecting over 450 million won, and finished 7th on the money list. In addition to the win, she added 10 other top tens, two of which were runner-up finishes. She also played on the year-ending Kowa Queens Team, where she beat her JLPGA opponent Shiho Oyama in the singles matches on the final day, won one team match and halved the other one.

Kim's 2016 was similar to her 2015 season. She finished 8th on the money list, earning about 567 million won. She notched one win, at the OK Savings Bank Pak Se Ri Invitational. She had 11 top tens in total, including two runner-ups and a third.

Kim had a fantastic run at her lone LPGA event of the season. She got herself into contention at the KEB Hana Bank, eventually winding up tied for third.

Kim also played two team events, the Kowa Queens and the ING Champions, both times on the KLPGA squad. At the ING, she teamed with Ji Hyun Kim to take down the LPGA's Jenny Shin and Amy Yang, and with Hae Rym Kim to beat Eun Hee Ji and MJ Hur. She lost the singles against Chella Choi. At the Kowa, Kim teamed with Jiyai Shin to top the Japanese, and with Su Yeon Jang to beat Australia. She also won the singles 4 & 3 against Ai Suzuki. As a result, she was named the MVP for the event.

Min Sun had another solid season on the KLPGA in 2017. She won one tournament, the Nexen Saint Nine Masters, in April. She also had six other top tens, including three second places, but that was coupled with a number of missed cuts. Still, she finished tenth on the money list, with 425 million won earned.

She played the ING Champions team event at year's end. She won one team match and lost the other one, while skipping the singles.

Min Sun had a lackluster 2018 season. She only finished 46th on the money list with 158 million won earned. Her only top tens were a pair of fourth place finishes.

Min Sun improved somewhat in 2019. She finished 22nd on the money list with over 334 million won earned. She had eight top tens, which included a second and a third place. She also did quite well at her lone LPGA event of the year, the BMW Championship, where she put herself in contention before finishing tied for 6th.

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. Min Sun collected another win at the McCol Open, but had only one other top ten, an 8th place finish. She earned 219 million won, placing her 17th on the year's money list.

Kim struggled a lot more in 2021. She only made 91 million won, placing her at just 73rd on the money list. Her best finish was a 10th at the Hite Cup.

For unknown reasons, Kim decided to change her name to "Si Won Kim" in 2022. Perhaps the fact that there were already multiple players with the name Min Sun Kim had something to do with it; Min Sun Kim 7 was poised to join the tour as well. In 2022, she missed most of the season, probably with injuries. She played only four events and made just one cut, where she finished tied for 42nd. She returned to action in 2023, playing two events in December of 2022 for that season. She made one cut and finished 68th at that event.

Si Won Kim had a rough 2023 season; she made just 84 million won, 89th on the money list. She announced her reitrement and played her final event at the S-OIL in November. Best of luck to her in her future endeavors!

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