'Major Queen' Kim Arim: "The Key to Victory is Long Drives and Shot Making"

2-Stroke Victory at Season's First Major KLPGA Championship: 'Maximum 324.80-Yard Long Drive and Diverse Shots in Strong Winds'

Kim Arim is smiling brightly while holding the trophy immediately after winning the major Chris F&C KLPGA Championship. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Kim Arim (27, SBI Savings Bank) is a long hitter.

She debuted on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour in 2016 and held the top spot in driving distance for three consecutive years in 2018 (259.18 yards), 2019 (262.53 yards), and 2020 (259.52 yards). Her strengths are her powerful long drives and high-trajectory iron shots, which come from her tall stature of 175 cm and solid physique. In December 2020, she created a sensation by winning the US Women's Open, a major on the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, as a non-member.

At that time, her long driving distance, ranking first with an average drive of 262.5 yards, was a key factor in her victory. This year, she has improved not only her distance but also her ability to execute a variety of shots. She is supported by three swing coaches?two in the U.S. and one in Korea. She has mastered controlling trajectory at will and can now hit both draw and fade shots as she desires. Since moving to the U.S. last year, she has also learned by observing players like Ko Jin-young (27) and Nelly Korda (U.S.).

‘Overseas player’ Kim Arim has risen to become a domestic ‘major queen.’ On the final day of the KLPGA Tour major Chris F&C KLPGA Championship (total prize money 1.2 billion KRW) held on the 1st at Ildong Lake Golf Club in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 6,689 yards), she added 2 under par to complete a 3-stroke victory (12 under par 276). This is her third KLPGA Tour win, coming 2 years and 10 months after her victories at the 2018 Park Seri Invitational and the 2019 Moon Young Queens Park Championship, with a winner’s prize of 216 million KRW.

Despite strong winds and challenging pin placements that troubled most players, Kim Arim demonstrated extraordinary skill by reducing her score by two strokes. Her powerful long drives, reaching up to 324.80 yards, were her main weapon. On the 16th hole (par 4), she made a long 13.62-meter birdie putt, distancing herself from her competitors. She explained, "The wind was strong, but by lowering my trajectory, I was able to play easily, and the more the pin was placed in a corner, the more helpful it was to use various shot shapes."

Kim Arim said, "Even if it wasn’t this win, I felt that I was really doing well and growing," adding, "I think I will gain more confidence from today and feel more certain that the path I am on is the right one." She will depart by daytime flight on the 2nd to compete in the Cognizant Founders Cup on the 12th. She added, "I haven’t fully figured out the U.S. courses yet," and "I want to win the US Women’s Open once again."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.