Why can’t I win? Why can’t I? After removing the question mark, I finally see myself. Runner-up finishes instead of wins. Still, it’s a good life.
Flight from Jeju to Seoul. Choi Ye-rim, who had been smiling just a few hours ago, cried profusely. She said she had never cried so much in her entire life.
KLPGA Tour Jeju Samdasoo Masters held in August last year. Choi Ye-rim, who was in the lead from rounds 1 to 3, was on the verge of her first win with a wire-to-wire match. However, with four holes left, the flow of the game changed. Ji Han-sol succeeded in birdies for four consecutive holes from holes 15 to 18, and Choi Ye-rim could not reduce the number of strokes any further. He missed out on the championship that was right in front of him.
A runner-up finish that would upset anyone. Still, Choi Ye-rim hugged Ji Han-sol. He smiled and left the green as if nothing had happened. Rather, the gallery, which had been enthusiastically cheering for Choi Ye-rim, felt even more upset. At that time, Choi Ye-rim laughed again, saying, “It’s okay.” And then I couldn’t hold back the tears that poured out while I was alone on the plane.
After that, Choi Ye-rim finished second two more times. She also finished second at the High1 Resort Women’s Open, held two weeks after the Jeju Samdasoo Masters. I was calm back then. After finishing second at the PLK Pacific Ring Korea Championship held in Vietnam in February of this year, I immediately packed my bags and left for training in Thailand. It’s been 6 years, but we’ve been undefeated and runner-up five times. Yerim Choi said: “If I consistently do my job, I think winning will come someday.”
era of infinite competition
Every week, more than 100 players compete for the championship. Moreover, with pro-ams and practice rounds, professional players actually only have one day off a week, Monday. Other than that, it’s competition, competition, competition. As a result, the players are under extreme stress.
Choi Ye-rim, who complained, “I feel like I’m walking on a thorny path every day,” then laughed. “But since I’m not the only one walking this path and we’re all doing it together, I keep silent and think, ‘It’s hard for everyone.’ I’m already in my sixth year. Time seems to pass so quickly that I don’t even know how the past five years have passed.”
The fact that there was no championship and only runner-up five times must have been stressful. “I actually hate going to the champions group. I always came in second place in the champions group. I wonder if I’m a little traumatized. I think it would be nice to beat the champions group and move up.”
The more I think about the Jeju Samdasoo Masters, where I was runner-up for the third time in my career, the more I regret it. “It was my first time feeling pressured like that. I received a lot of support, but it felt heavy. Also, when Hansol suddenly came up and took the lead in the last hole, I felt like the tower I had worked so hard to build was collapsing. ‘This is my luck. My luck. That’s it.’ “Still, I left with a smile on my face for Hansol. I thought the winner wouldn’t get the spotlight if I cried on the green.”
“If there’s one thing that continues to leave me with regret, it’s that every time I get runner-up, I get labeled as ‘frustrated again.’ It’s still disappointing to get runner-up, but I still praise myself for doing a good job. Second place is also difficult, so how did I do so much? But I still managed to win the championship quickly. “I want to do it. Players my age have already done it once, but I’m the only one who can’t do it. That’s why I’m working harder.”
Choi Ye-rim, who has already become an ‘older sister’ on the tour, works hard to keep up with the competition against powerful new players. “These days, all the juniors are tall. When I was young, I said that my older sisters were tall, but it seems like they are taller than we were. I don’t think we can do it anymore. I think I need to prepare something else.”
“I have to compete with precision. I am confident in my iron shots. Even if the distance is a little less, the chance of a birdie increases if I have precision in my second shot. I will practice my iron shots more and refine them.”
Soft Ice Cream
Choi Ye-rim is considered to have a soft swing form on the KLPGA tour. “I made a lot of empty swings, but I think it’s because I don’t have a lot of muscle, so my swing looks soft. My swing has been soft since I was young. I’m not strong, but I’m big, so my swing arc is large, so I tend to go a lot of distance. But these days, I hit harder. “They say it’s soft to play. I guess that’s just my style.”
Choi Ye-rim, who appears on the broadcast screen, looks arrogant without a smile, but her personality is very gentle. He is also very sensitive. He chuckled and said, “I think it’s because I have an easy personality, so my swing resembles my personality.” “I don’t really like dark colors in clothes. I wear a lot of soft colors, especially white. I also prefer soft and chewy food. Everyone says I have grandma’s taste. I don’t like strong things. My personality is the same, and I love people. “I don’t get along well with strong people.”
As a player, when you are in a competition, your competitive spirit is bound to flare up, but Choi Ye-rim looked back and said that her competitive spirit did not seem to be as strong as other players. “I think that if I do what I have to do, the championship will come someday. Other players say that their competitive spirit is burning brightly and their eyes are on fire, but I quietly do my job. Oh, is that why there is no championship?”
Even though I say this, the stress that comes from competition is severe. Gastritis and esophagitis are common. “When I’m in an extreme situation, I use up all the energy I have inside me and focus. But I also consume it quickly. Why don’t you smile during the game? People say I look blunt, but that’s because I’m nervous when I play. I don’t have time to smile, and when I finish a hole, I have to wait until the next hole. “I’m busy thinking about the hole. At the beginning of the game, I talk to my caddy to relax, but at some point I don’t say a word.”메이저사이트
I said myself, ‘I don’t have the will to win,’ but after listening to it, that’s not the case. He went to Thailand for training this year, and practiced so much that people around him stopped him. “Anyway, I couldn’t reach my desired goal. The pro seemed to have a bit of a sense of duty. Even when I returned home, I heard a lot of people say, ‘Get some rest.’ So I started this season with confidence. I practiced a lot, so the results were as good as I did. “It will come out. I got hit by a lot of rain this year, so my stamina dropped a lot, and it took me a long time to recover. Still, regardless of my performance, I like it better than last year. The shots I can use on the field have become more diverse.”
He experienced bitterness as a runner-up, but also experienced internal growth. Of course, winning is something you have to achieve, but perhaps more important than winning is taking care of yourself and staying healthy and on tour for a long time.
“At some point, I was so thirsty for the championship. So, if I missed the championship, I was frustrated and disappointed. So now I’m controlling my mind to let go of that feeling. If I can’t do it, I didn’t do it, and it’s not like I’m going to die. That doesn’t mean I’ll stop playing as a player. “It’s not even one. I’m hypnotizing myself into believing that I can just maintain my seed by being within the prize money rankings that I want.”
The thing golfers say most often is ‘Winning is determined by heaven.’ This means that it is not something I can do just because I beg for it. “That’s why I live a good life. What won’t come of that?” Choi Ye-rim, who was laughing, said, “I don’t want to go through the competition too drearily or under stress. Take your time and think, ‘What if I don’t win?’ And I try to have fun. Like a player who has won a championship. Then, someday, victory will come to me too.”
“If the LPGA Tour has professional Yang Hee-young, the KLPGA Tour has Choi Ye-rim. Smooth swing, gentle person. I like that qualifier. I will go up as high as my fans can remember me that way.”
Choi Ye-rim_Age: 24 years old / Became professional in 2017 / Affiliated team SK Networks / Runner-up 5 times
Photo_Kim Si-hyung (49 Visual Studio) / Hair & Makeup_ Kalabin by Seo Il-ju Hair &
Makeup_ Kalabin by Seo Il-ju