Who is HJ Kim? Everything we know about the LPGA golfer

HJ Kim had a sensational outing at the Old American Golf Club in the 2023 LPGA Ascendant where she returned as champion for the sixth time in her career on the Tour. She defeated tied second-placed Atthaya Thitikul and Bianca Pagdanganan by a huge margin of four strokes.

That said, let's take a look at the golfing star's personal life.

She was born on July 17, 1995, in Wonju, Gangwon-do to a South Korean couple named Kim Chang-ho and Choi Sung-hwi. Her full name is Kim Hyo-Joo. She graduated from the Korea University.

Kim holds the record as the youngest player ever to compete on the JLPGA Tour (16 years and 332 days). Later, she went on to register her first major victory when she won the Evian Championship in 2014.

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Exploring LPGA golfer HJ Kim's professional career

The 28-year-old South Korean golfer has recorded 19 professional victories so far in her career. 14 came on the LPGA of Korea Tour. Her first professional win came on the same tour in 2012 when she defeated Kim Hye-youn to come out victorious at the Hyundai China Ladies Open.

In 2014, HJ Kim played on the LPGA Tour as a non member. She had four starts and made the cut in all of them. Also, she finished in the top 10 in each tournament and won her first major title at the Evian Championship, which earned her the card to play the next season.

Kim's rookie season in 2015 was also a memorable one. She had 24 starts and missed the cut in only two of them. She finished nine times inside the top 10 and won the JTBC Founders Cup after defeating Stacy Lewis by three strokes.

HJ Kim started off her 2016 LPGA tour season with a win in her first start. She defeated Kim Sei-young, Stacy Lewis and Anna Nordqvist to win the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic. She played a total of 27 tournaments and missed the cut only in four of them.

She did not win any more tournaments on the LPGA Tour until 2021. At the HSBC Women's World Championship in 2021, she bettered Hannah Greenby by one stroke to record her fourth victory. She played 17 tournaments and made the cut in 14 of them.

HJ Kim made 17 starts in the 2022 season. She missed the cut only in two of them and finished eight times inside the top 10. She also won the Lotte Championship after defeating Hinako Shibuno by two strokes.

She has made a whopping $8,617,877 competing on the leading women's American golf tour, registering 53 top-10 finishes so far in her career.