A winning instinct hidden in a childish and cute face. A bold play that made the older sisters tremble since they were amateurs. Super rookie Hwang Yoo-min, who will start the regular tour starting this year, said. You’ll do ‘terrifyingly’ well, so look forward to it.
“Because she is stubborn and assertive, to be honest, it was difficult to raise her as a parent. But even though she is my daughter, Yu-min wanted to do something.
Did she say that she knows the future tree from the cotyledon? Hwang Yoo-min is also like that. He won the Korea Golf Association (KGA) Amateur Golf Championship in 2020 and played as a national team member in 2021-22. In 2021, she defeated Kang Min-gu-bae at the Korean Women’s Amateur Golf Championship, where she reached the top by breaking the tournament’s lowest stroke. Women’s golf amateur world ranking 3rd, Asia 1st… .
It is difficult to list his history line by line, and he clearly announced his name to domestic fans by facing Min-ji Park for the championship at the NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship in May of last year. Hwang Yu-min, who played confidently without trembling even when competing against the strongest player on the KLPGA Tour, missed her second shot on the 18th hole and lost the championship to Min-ji Park. After the game, he said, “It’s a waste, it’s a waste.
“There was a second shot on the 18th hole on the divot, but it wasn’t a very difficult shot. I just had to pay attention to ‘contact’. But that was the only shot I went in without confidence that day. I kept blaming myself because the shot I took without confidence led to a miss shot. I insisted on not doing that again. And the next day, I reset my mentality and came back. Sometimes it goes off indefinitely, but it comes back quickly.”
Now, as a pro, Hwang Yu-min is stepping into the KLPGA regular tour in earnest. As a super rookie that draws attention, he may be nervous about the regular tour, but he is confident. “I’m excited. I think it will be fun. What if I compete for the championship with my sisters? I think I can overcome the pressured moment. I can do it.”
Jangta, don’t give up!
Everyone is puzzled when they first see Yumin Hwang. ‘How could that person send it so far?’ He’s not very tall at 163cm, but his driving distance is well over 260 yards. People who saw Hwang Yoo-min’s tee shot when he competed in a professional tournament as a national team member stuck out their tongues. Even he himself cites the advantages as flying distance. Ball speed is up to 150 mph. How did a small player become a long hitter? Why did he choose distance as his advantage?
“I went to a tournament when I was in my 3rd year of middle school, and the older sisters I was with had a great distance. At that time, the course was very long and the green was difficult. The ball was set up. It felt like a big wall to me. At that time, the distance was really low. I thought that I would not be the best in this state. From then on, I decided to increase the distance.”
Since his freshman year at Shinsung High School, he has been greedy for distance in earnest. “In my first year of high school, I increased by about 20m, and the distance steadily improved by 5m every year. It was definitely very comfortable to play. That’s why I can’t give up flying distance (laughs).”
It was a big help to do a quick empty swing with something light. He also did a lot of exercises to improve his quickness. “I lost my direction while being greedy for distance…” he laughed shyly, then said, “I think the secret to my swing, which gives me a lot of distance, is a quick switching motion. I would say it’s good to use my body to put power. I think the instantaneous speed is fast.” said it outright.
Dad, I want to play golf.
I started playing golf when I was in the 4th grade of elementary school. It started when he followed his father to an indoor practice range. “They took me away because they seemed like I had nothing to do. I somehow learned and went to the tournament for the first time in the 2nd semester of 5th grade. My usual score was in the late 90s, but somehow I wrote down 86. Now that I think about it again, I couldn’t do that well. I was so happy and golf felt easy. I called my dad right away and said, ‘I’m going to be a golfer.'”
Although he easily(?) chose golf, the life of an athlete is not easy. He has to work hard every day and live under the suffocating pressure. Hwang Yoo-min also works hard to do better. “If you want to get better, you can’t keep doing the same thing. What should I do to get better? I think the more I get better, the more I find new things. Last year, there was something I wanted to change myself, but that didn’t work out. I practiced shot-making a lot in training, so I think I can play with confidence now.”
In order to do well on the regular tour, he did not forget to hone his skills. Starting in April, you need to manage your physical strength in order to digest the packed competition schedule. “To hit the regular tour course, I had to know how to handle a variety of pitches. My main pitch is a draw, but I improved my fade accuracy and practiced shots with high trajectory. I don’t think it’s possible. Wouldn’t it be okay if we made a plan to exercise every day during the season?”
I did mind control again. The experience of not being able to easily win on the Jump Tour, where he ate comfortably, was used as a foundation. “I tend to compliment myself a lot. But when I was playing, I wasn’t very good at complimenting. If I make a mistake, I get angry. I try to be patient with it as much as I can, but they say it shows through on my face. That’s why he compliments me a lot during the game. Even if I miss a shot, I think, ‘I’m good at golf, so this is nothing’ and move on, so it was fine.”
Twenty-year-old who loves golf
“Yoo-min only knows golf.” Industry insiders spoke in unison. There is no such common signature. When he asked for his autograph, he said that he wrote his name in sperm. These days, I took off my surname to sign autographs in a cool way. My head is so full of golf that I didn’t even make a sign when I joined.
My personality changed because of golf. “I usually imagine a lot. As a result, I think a lot when I play. I’m on the 8th hole and thinking about what to do on the 15th hole. So I deliberately tried not to think. I think my personality changes. The index (MBTI) was originally an ENFP, but now it comes out as an ESFP.” (S accepts information through the senses and focuses on the present, while N is known for being future-oriented and imaginative and likes abstract things.) When asked how much they think about golf a day, more than 80% answered 먹튀검증
. “I think I only think about golf except for an hour or two during breaks. What do I do during breaks? I look up videos of my favorite players’ swings on YouTube. I also watch highlights from the PGA Tour.”
His favorite player is Xander Shaw Flee. Like Hwang Yoo-min, Shopley is on the small side on the PGA Tour, but belongs to long hitters. “He’s a player who has a lot of things I want to be like. I saw him winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and I thought he was really cool. He has a similar style to me, but unlike me, he has a really smooth rhythm. Oh, and by my standards, I think he’s really handsome.
It’s not just Shopley who likes it. Justin Thomas’ playing style and shot-making ability, Max Homar’s consistent body swing, and Cameron Smith’s short game and putting are also noted. “Among domestic players, I’ve seen Choi Hye-jin’s pro swing a lot from before. It’s very unstoppable and powerful. It’s a style that’s hard to see in Korea. I’m so envious of her accuracy and power.” Hwang Yoo-min, who started the interview awkwardly, started talking about golf, and laughter leaked out at the way he spoke so fluently.
Long hits aren’t everything in golf. However, Hwang Yoo-min will be like sweet rain to KLPGA tour fans who expect cool play. “When I play, I think I will go under the tree often. I hope you enjoy it. I want to try my best. I don’t want the results to be good. This is what I look like, but I will play really cool. Please look forward to it.”
Yumin Hwang Pro Debut 2022 / Affiliated Team Lotte / Results 2022 regular tour NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship runner-up, 2022 Jump Tour 11th ~ 12th round
2 championships in a row, 2021-22 national team, 2022 amateur world ranking 3 Above