Lee Jae-kyung struggled with Ips, “I was at 100 strokes, but changing my lifestyle helped”
“I wasn’t even a weekend golfer who could shoot 100먹튀검증.”
Lee Jae-kyung, 24, has been labeled as an “up-and-comer. She impressed fans with two career victories at the 2019 Korean Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour’s Woosung General Construction Aramir CC Busan Gyeongnam Open and the 2021 Genesis Championship.
He was looking forward to a steady start on the Korean Tour, but the ‘approach misses’ that came out of nowhere last year stood in his way. His performance plummeted as he made more and more ridiculous mistakes on his approach.
He played in 15 tournaments last year, making less than half the cuts. He reached the main draw seven times but was far from winning. After finishing third on the money list in 2020 and ninth in 2021, he dropped to 75th last year.
This year, he continued to struggle in the early stages of the season. She missed the cut in all three tournaments, starting with the DB Insurance PromiOpen in April, followed by the Golf Zone Open in Jeju and the Korea Championship organized by DP World Tour.
“When I think back to the time when I was struggling with my mouth, my approach level was like a weekend golfer who shot a 100,” Lee said. “At that time, if I didn’t hit an on-green, my anxiety would take over and I would think, ‘I’m in trouble.'”
Struggling with her mouth, Lee took swing coach Changjun Park’s suggestion to change her lifestyle. And it worked.
“By changing my lifestyle and practicing consistently, I gradually started to get better,” he says. “Before, I would come out late to practice if I was tired, but now I always wake up at 6 a.m. and get to the range before 8 a.m. at the latest. I also switched to practicing my approach and putts first, and I could feel my rhythm gradually improving.”
While he’s getting better, he’s still not 100% satisfied.
“When I practice, I can shoot 80 to 90, but when I play, I shoot around 70,” he said. “I think if I can get closer to 100, I’ll have a better chance of winning. I’m realizing the importance of my short game once again.”
His form has improved since moving away from Ipswich. In her last three tournaments, she has finished in the top 10. She tied for fourth at the GS Caltex Mae Kyung Open earlier this month, followed by a tie for seventh at the Woori Financial Championship and a tie for seventh at the SK Telecom Open.
Lee shot a 4-under 68 in the first round of the KPGA Korean Tour’s KB Financial Reeve Championship ($700 million in prize money) at Blackstone Icheon Golf Club (Par 72) in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday. With play underway at 4:40 p.m., no player has dropped more strokes than Lee.
“Rather than being satisfied with a top-10 for the third week in a row, I’m going to put my mind down and focus on my game,” said Lee. “My best round at this golf course was 5-over par and I’ve never qualified before. This time, I want to break the streak and get a good score, and I will do my best hole by hole without being greedy until the end.”