Hye-Jin Choi

Hye Jin Choi first picked up a golf club in the third grade after her father recommended the sport. She was on the Korean National Golf Team for four years and placed second in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Choi played in her first professional tournament in 2013, the Hanwha Finance Classic on the LPGA Tour of Korea (KLPGA), missing the cut. In the same year, Choi finished with three Top 5s in quality amateur tournaments, the KB Financial Group Cup, the Song Amateur Cup, and the Iksung Cup Maekyung Amateur, finishing 2nd, 4th, and 5th, respectively.
In 2014, she notched top-5 finishes in the KB Financial Group Cup again, the Daebo Group Cup Maekyung Amateur, and the Asian Games at Incheon. Top 10s were recorded in the Queen Sirikit Cup, Neighbors Trophy Team Championship, Hosim Cup, Korean Women's Amateur, and the Espirito Santo Trophy.
Choi won the World Junior Girls Championship in 2015 and the Women's World Amateur Team Championship in 2016, finished 9th in the Song Amateur Cup, and reached the Round of 32 and Round of 16 in the Australian Amateur and NSW Amateur, respectively.
In 2016, she notched top-5 finishes in the ISPS Handa New Zealand Women's Open and RACV Ladies Masters on the Ladies European Tour, finishing T-2nd and T-4th, respectively. She also finished T-4th in the Lotte Mart Ladies Open on the KLPGA. She was also a semifinalist at the U.S. Girls' Junior and reached the round of 16 at the U.S. Women's Amateur.
Hye-Jin was crowned the 2016 Canadian Women's Amateur Champion. The win earned her exemptions into the 2016 U.S. Women's Amateur and two LPGA events, the Canadian Pacific Women's Open and the Manulife LPGA Classic. In the U.S. Women's Open at CordeValle, she finished T-38th and garnered low amateur honors.
2017 Notes: She won the 2017 KLPGA SBS Ladies Open and the 2017 Australian Ladies Amateur. She finished runner-up in the South Wales Amateur final. She also finished 5th in the Oates Vic Open, a professional event on the Australian Ladies tour, and followed that with a T-7th in the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open, an LPGA event, her first top ten in an LPGA tournament.
Choi was 2nd at the U.S. Women's Open, 2 shots back of winner Sung Hyun Park. Choi made a double-bogey 5 on the par-3 16th hole in the final round after hitting her tee ball into the water. She was trying to become the youngest U.S. Women's Open winner and the second amateur (after Catherine Lacoste) to win the championship. Choi shot a 9-under 279, the lowest score by an amateur in U.S. Women's Open history, breaking Grace Park's 1999 record by 5 strokes. She won twice on the Korean LPGA as an amateur, including the Chojung Sparkling Water Resort Open in PyeongChang, when she shot a final-round 63 with two holdouts for eagle. She also won the Bogner-MBN Ladies Open before turning pro after turning 18 on August 23. She was T-5th in her professional debut at the Hanwha Finance Classic, a major tournament on the Korean LPGA Tour. Choi ended her year with a T-2nd at the Hite Jinro Championship and won the Hyosung Championship with SBS, both events on the Korean Tour. The Hyosung Championship was the opening event on the 2018 Korean LPGA Tour, held in Vietnam. It was her first win as a professional.
2018 Notes: Played in seven LPGA events, making six cuts. She was 2nd in the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open, 3 back of the winner Jim Young Ko. She was 4th at the Korea Investment Championship on the Korean LPGA and then went to America to play in two events. Was T-10th at the KIA Classic and T-48th at the ANA Inspiration. After that went back to Korea and was T-14th at the Lotte Rent a car Ladies Open, T-18th at the Nexen Saint Nine Masters, T-2nd at the Creas F&C KLPGA Championship, T-17th at the Kyochon Honey Ladies Open, T-4th at the NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship, and T-9th at the Doosan Match Play.
2019 Notes: Played in just 4 LPGA events, best finish T-5th at the LPGA Lotte Championship. Played in 24 LPGA of Korea Tour events with 14 top-ten and five wins, CreaS F&C KLPGA Championship, NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship, S-Oil Championship, McCol-Yongpyong Resort Open, SK Networks Seokyung Ladies Classic. Led the KLPGA Tour money list with won1,207,162,636 (US$936,373) in earnings.
2020 Notes: Played in three LPGA events and was T-2nd at the ISPS Handa Vic Open. Hee Young Park beat her on the fourth hole of a playoff. Played in 16 KLPGA Tour events with 13 top-ten finishes, won twice, S-Oil Championship, SK Telecom-ADT CAPS Championship. She was 6th on the KLPGA money list with won538,273,873 (US$417,529).
2021 Notes: Played in 28 KLPGA Tour events, making 23 cuts with 11 top-ten finishes. Didn't win but was runner-up twice at the Hanwha Classic and Elcru-TV Chosun Pro Celebrity. She was 11th on the KLPGA money list with won541,698,707 (US$420,185) She was credited with one LPGA start finishing T-41st at the BMW Ladies Championship, which is played in Korea. After the season, she finished T-8th in the LPGA Q Series to earn her LPGA card for 2022.
2022 Notes: Played in 27 LPGA Tour events, making 26 cuts with 10 top-ten finishes. She was 5th on the CME rankings and 6th on the money list with earnings of $2,075,696. She was T-8th in her first LPGA at the start of the season at the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio. She was 3rd at the LPGA Lotte Championship, four shots back of the winner Hyo Joo Kim. Shot 67-68 to finish T-6th at the DIO Implant L.A. Open. Shot a final round 66 to finish T-8th at the Cognizant Founders Cup and was T-9th at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play. Won her three matches in her bracket but lost to Eun-Hee Ji 2 & 1 in the Round of 16. Was 3rd at the U.S. Women's Open, six back of winner Minjee Lee. Was T-5th at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and T-6th at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational with partner Na Rin An. She was the 54-hole co-leader at the CP Women's Open, then shot 69 Sunday to finish T-2nd, one shot back of winner Paula Reto. She was T-3rd at the BMW Ladies Championship, five back of the winner, Lydia Ko. Finished her LPGA season T-54th at the CME Group Tour Championship. Her last event of the year, T-18th at the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women's Open.
2023 Notes: Played in 23 LPGA Tour events, making 21 cuts with two top-ten finishes. She was 36th on the CME rankings and 38th on the money list, earning $747,355. After a slow start on the LPGA Tour, in which her best finish before June was T-13th at the Cognizant Founders Cup. She was a South Korean team member at the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown and was 1-2 in the matches. Choi returned home to Korea in June and was T-7th at the E1 Charity Open. The next week, she won the Lotte Open. Back on the LPGA Tour, she was T-8th at the Meijer LPGA Classic. Shot a final round 64 at the BMW Ladies Championship to finish T-3rd, a shot back of the Angel Yin/Lilia Vu playoff.
2024 Notes: Played in 27 LPGA Tour events, making 22 cuts with eight top-ten finishes. She was 16th on the CME rankings and 22nd on the money list, earning $1,198,637. She was T-3rd at the Honda LPGA Thailand, three shots back of the winner Patty Tavatanakit. Was 9th at the Blue Bay LPGA. Had back-to-back T-7th finishes at the Amundi Evian Championship and Dana Open. Had a two-week stretch in which she was T-5th at the Buick LPGA Shanghai, T-4th at the BMW Ladies Championship, and T-6th at the Maybank Championship. In the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship finished T-8th.
2025 Notes: Was T-9th at the Chevron Championship. Had back-to-back T-4th finishes at the Mexico Riviera Maya Open and U.S. Women's Open. Then finished 2nd at the Meijer LPGA Classic when Carlota Ciganda made birdie on her last two holes to beat Choi by a shot. Was T-8th at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.