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 But things weren’t always this easy for Kim. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Kim, 16, was introduced to golf by his father, Sang-Bae Kim, at the age of 9. While it took him a while to warm up to the game, Kim’s interest grew as he improved and watched the success of Korean natives Grace Park, Se Ri Pak and K.J. Choi. “By watching and hearing how good they were doing, it made me work harder on my game back then,” he said. Kim’s family moved to La Mirada when he was 13 and the challenges of a foreign country were immediately felt. Kim was overweight and understood very little English, but he knew he’d have to learn the language and get in shape if he was to succeed in the classroom and on the golf course. “I saw how Tiger and Phil [Mickelson] got their bodies bigger and stronger over time,” he said. “I knew if I could lose weight I wouldn’t be made fun of and I would be able to hit the ball farther.” When Jim Erickson, the head golf coach at La Mirada High School first saw Kim, “I thought he was a football player trying out for the golf team,” he said. Three years later, Kim has adapted to the American lifestyle. He speaks fluent English, is maintaining his weight and keeps a 4.0 GPA at school. He’s also ranked 42nd in the nation, according to a junior ranking publication. When he was 15, Kim won his first L.A. Junior City Championship by shooting 7-under par in the 54-hole event. Later that year, Kim won the U.S. Junior Amateur Golf Championship at Olympic Country Club, becoming the second youngest winner of the event. The youngest? Tiger Woods. Kim defended his L.A. junior title by shooting 13-under par and again getting his name in the record book by becoming only the second junior to defend his title. The other was Kevin Na (now playing on the PGA Tour) in 1999 and 2000. “Certainly I have gained confidence when defending a title,” Kim said. “I definitely learned from that experience. It also gives me confidence to defend my U.S. Junior Amateur title.” La Mirada assistant coach Dennis Croghan is impressed with the way Kim handles himself on the course. “Sihwan is respected by his teammates and peers for his maturity and understanding of the game,” Croghan said. Erickson is equally im-pressed with Kim’s demeanor. “You wouldn’t know if he was 7-under par or 7-over par because he is so focused. He shows no emotions while playing,” he said. But Kim likes to have fun off the course, and realizes there is more to life than golf. He works out regularly, takes martial arts classes, plays basketball and enjoys going to movies with friends. “Sihwan is a competitor in every thing he does,” says Michael Im, a friend and fellow competitor. “But when the game is over, he is back to his funny self, making everyone laugh.” But come July 18, you can bet he’ll have his game face on, looking to defend another title. LA HABRA GOLFER WINS BIG STAKES CHAMPIONSHIP David Ping turned professional in 2001, but his illustrious career on mini-tours didn't remind anyone of Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson. Last month, however, the La Habra resident won a tournament that paid him what those titans get for winning a PGA Tour event. Ping birdied the final hole of the inaugural Big Stakes Golf Champion-ship at Casablanca Golf Club, in Mesquite, Nevada. The win earned Ping and partner Garth Mulroy, of North Carolina, $975,000 each. Only golfers who had not held exempt status for three years on any golf tour could enter the event, which cost $50,000. Ping and his wife, Karen, a Whit-tier elementary school teacher, moved to Orange County 18 months ago. FOUR PLAYERS REPRESENT AREA AT JUNIOR MATCHES Four Southland golfers will represent Southern California at the 2005 Girls’ Junior America’s Cup Team Matches July 26-28 at Guadalajara Country Club in Guadalajara, Mexico. The Southern California team consists of Brianna Do of Lakewood, Kylie Fuller of Temecula, Lee Lopez of Whittier and Lizette Salas of Azusa. Other teams competing represent Alberta, Arizona, British Columbia, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Mexico, Montana, New Mexico, Northern California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Since the inception of the matches in 1978, Southern California has won 12 times, including last year. For more information, call Nikki Gatch at the SCPGA at (951) 845-4653, ext. 732, or visit www.gjac.org. |
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