- Lee Kyoung-hoon is a South Korean Professional Golf Player who made his professional debut in 2010
- The South Korean golfer is a two-time AT & T Champion and is currently on his PGA tour, after dreaming of winning the PGA several times
- The Father of one has won several golf tournaments including Kolon Korea Open and Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup
Lee Kyoung-hoon popularly known as K.H. Lee is a fast-rising South Korean Golfer. He started playing professionally in 2010 when he was just 19 years old. Lee made his professional debut on the OneAsia Tour in 2011.
He is the defending champion for the AT & T Nelson Byron, after winning the trophy for two years consecutively. He has won several other tournaments, including the Kolon Korea Open, Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup, and Honma Tour World Cup at Trophia Golf.
Who is Lee Kyoung-hoon?
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Lee Kyoung-hoon is a professional golf player. His Father, Sang Moo, and his mother, Hea Won Hong were restaurant owners in Seoul, and this became the family’s main source of income as it was from there that his parents saved money for his education.
While his mother had to spend some nights at the restaurant as it was such a long journey home, his father had to take on a second job as a driver to augment the family’s income.
His passion for sport started when he was a child. At first, he began by throwing the shot put but at 13, he took up golf and his parent have been supportive ever since.
After graduating High School, Lee attended the Korean National Sports University. He graduated in 2014 and became a fellow of the same school in 2018.
Lee is an only son who loves to sing. When asked what he would’ve become asides from being a golfer, he revealed that he would be a singer. He went as far as taking music classes to improve his singing.
Fascinating Facts about Lee Kyoung-hoon
1. Lee Kyoung-hoon began his Career at 19
The South Korean Golfer started his professional career in 2010 when he was 19 years old. However, before he went pro, he played at a junior golf tournament in Seoul after he ditched shot put at 13.
In 2011, he joined the OneAsia Tour, a Men’s professional golf tour in the Asia Pacific region. Kyoung-hoon finished 39th on the order of merit.
By 2012, The young golfer joined the Japan Gold Tour and recorded a runner-up finish. In July of the same year, Lee Kyoung-hoon won his first trophy, The Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup, a professional golf tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. He also won the Homma Tour World Cup at Trophia Golf in 2015 with a winning score of -16 (71-65-65-67=268) against his opponent.
2. Lee Kyoung-hoon has dreamt of Winning the PGA for a long time
The 2-time PGA winner said he has had dreams of winning the title very often, and that spurred him to practice really hard. The golfer said he spent an entire day practicing and on other days, he would spend 12-15 hours playing.
Lee Kyoung-hoon won his first PGA Tour win in 2021 at the AT&T Byron Nelson with a score of 25-under-par, beating the runner-up by 3 strikes. In May 2022, K.H. Lee defended his title by winning the AT&T Byron Nelson for the second time in a row after winning with 1 point against the runner-up, Jordan Spieth.
3. Lee Kyoung-hoon was Exempted from Compulsory Military Conscription
In South Korea where Lee is from, there is a law that requires male citizens between the ages of 18 to 28 to perform 24 months of compulsory military service. It is called the Military Service Act, which was established in 1957.
Lee had two options when he decided not to serve in the Military; it was either he goes to jail or flee to another country and apply for refugee status. Luckily for him, he didn’t have to choose because the country developed a law that allows for anyone who wins any medal for the country at either the Olympics or the Asian Games and classical artists to be exempted or defer their service to a later date.
The golfer received his exemption in 2010 after he won an Asian Games team gold medal. However, there are other professional golfers who served in the military before going into the game full-time. They include K.J Choi, Ben Hogan, Orville Moody, Larry Nelson, Herman Keiser, Lee Trevino, and Bobby Jones among others.
4. Kyoung-hoon moved to the U.S in 2016
In 2016, when he was 25 years old, Kyoung-hoon finished 8th in the Web.com Tour Qualifying tournament and qualified to play in the tour where he came in 78th place.
He did better in 2017 when he finished third place in the Rex Hospital Open. 2018 was a better year for Lee as he finished fifth in the Web.com. His remarkable performance earned him a promotion to the PGA Tour.
His career has skyrocketed ever since and he has gone ahead to win several titles including the WinCo Foods Portland Open and the Bridgestone Open. Lee won his first PGA Tour at the 2021 AT & T Byron Nelson.
5. He has a Beautiful Family and a Supportive Wife
Lee Kyoung-hoon’s Wife is Joo Yeon Yu. The couple was first seen together in on the 17th of May, 2021 while she was pregnant with their first child. There is limited information about his wife, who she is, or what she does. Nevertheless, she has proven to be very supportive of her husband’s career and is always there to celebrate his wins.
She was there to support her husband, Kyoung-hoon when he won the AT & T Byron Nelson. Joo stood beside her husband while he received his trophy at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas.
On the 6th of July, 2021, Lee welcomed a daughter, Celina Yuna with his wife.
6. Lee Kyoung-hoon’s Net Worth
K.H. Lee, as a Professional golf player has garnered an estimated net worth of $7 million in his career. His net worth was accumulated after competing in different tournaments in the course of his career.
In 2021, he won a cheque for $1.458 on his first PGA tour victory and $1. 638 million on his second and most recent victory in May 2022. He also endorses other brands including Wegotchu and Koreselect Energy.
See Also: Bryson Nimmer: 10 Facts About The Professional Golfer
7. Lee has decided to give back to his Community
Lee Kyoung-hoon has started a Junior Golf Tournament in Seoul, his hometown called The Lee Kyoung Hoon Junior Golf Tournament. It is held between April and May every year since its inception. He started it as a way of giving back to the community that raised him seeing that he started his career in a Junior League as well.
Lee Kyoung-Lee is a South Korean professional golf player born on the 24th of August, 1991. He made his professional debut in 2010 and is the defending champion of AT & T Byron Nelson. Kyoung is married to Joo Yeon Yu and they have a Daughter, Celine Yuna.
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