Even the eyes are different.
This is the resolution of Lee Yu-lin, who passed the KLPGA Tour seed match in November last year. He plans to leave for Evergreen Hills Golf Resort in Kanchanaburi, Thailand on the 16th and focus on training until February 18.
In a recent interview with Asian Economy, Lee Yu-lin said, "I will not repeat my mistakes of the past two years this year. I want to repay everyone who supported me by winning the championship." 안전놀이터
Lee Yu-lin has pursued elite athletic courses. Having played for the national team in 2020 and 2021, Lee has strength in swinging from a height of 169 centimeters and long balls over 260 yards on average. After joining the KLPGA tour in 2022, Lee made his debut in the regular tour by ranking fifth in the seed match, but his performance in the first year was disappointing. Only nine out of 29 competitions have advanced to the finals, losing his tour card to the 93rd place in the prize money ranking.
After promising a comeback in Muan, South Jeolla Province, he re-entered his position as the second-seeded player in the 2022 seed round, but only ranked 65th in the prize money rankings in 2023. Notably, his poor performance in the early days of the season was a problem. He failed to make the cut 16 times out of 21 competitions through September, and suffered a setback called driver Ips. He couldn't swing properly even at the tee-ing ground, but he didn't give up. After overcoming Ips in four months, he passed the cut at a major competition in October, and displayed his potential by ranking second at the Deokshin EPC and Seoul Economic Ladies Classic.
However, he failed to enter the top 60 in the prize money rankings and had to play the seed match for the second consecutive year, and this time, he returned to the regular tour as No. 1 overall and succeeded in making a comeback. "I was under a lot of pressure from the seed match, but I was happy that the results followed as much as I prepared," Lee Yu-lin said with a smile. "I want to praise myself."
Lee Yu-lin changed her name from her previous registration name 'Lee Ji-hyun 7' in November 2023. "There was a lot of confusion because there were many players with the same name on the KLPGA tour, and there was also a willingness to change their names to common names," she said.
After the end of last year's season, Lee prepared for the new season by focusing on physical training in Korea. Since then, he has been focusing on perfecting his body and mind for five weeks during the off-season training in Thailand. He will be joined by Kim Hye-dong, who has been helping him since June 2023. Kim was once known as the longest hitter in the Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) tour by flying 330 yards. Lee said his meeting with Kim was a turning point in his golf career. "I talked a lot with Kim and came to admit that I'm a professional golfer, and I learned every swing from scratch to overcome this," he recalled. "It was such a hard and difficult process, but I focused only on correcting my swing thinking it was the last time of my golf career."
In the off-season training in Thailand, Lee is enhancing shot accuracy and short game capability. Lee is focusing on various ball games and approach techniques to match Korea's topography. "I want to display my golf style through more aggressive play," Lee said.
This year, Lee Yu-lin also signed a sponsorship contract with Doosan Engineering & Construction's We've Golf Club. The golf club includes Lim Hee-jung, a KLPGA tour powerhouse, Park Gyeol, Yoo Hyo-joo, Kim Min-sol, and Yoo Hyun-joo. "It is an honor to be with great players, and I think it will be an important turning point in my golf career," Lee said.
Lee Yul-lin is most respected by Park In-bee. Lee was impressed by the fact that she became the first Asian player to achieve a career Grand Slam by overcoming difficulties in swing. "I want to become a player who can win against herself just like Park In-bee," Lee stressed. Lee's goal is the best in the world. "I want to enter the U.S. tour and play golf in various places," Lee said with a smile.