Imagine hitting so many fairways that you don’t even notice that you’ve gone 46 holes without missing one? That’s what happened to Hee Jeong Lim at the BMW Ladies Championship. The 21-year-old from South Korea hit every fairway in the first round at LPGA International Busan and again in the second round before finally missing the fairway on the 11th hole of her third round. When she was asked about ending that streak by the media on Saturday, her answer was a bit shocking.
“I wasn’t necessarily aware of the fact that that was the first fairway that I missed during this event. But I’m not really used to missing the fairway. I usually keep the fairway pretty well,” Lim said. “So being in the rough itself was a bit awkward I would have to say.”
Lim is a member of the Korean LPGA Tour (KLPGA), where she has won four times including a major title and has earned the nickname Stone Budda. The BMW is just her fifth career LPGA Tour event.
Lim has another streak going at the BMW: She’s yet to make a bogey during the tournament, posting scores of 67-66-65 to set the 54-hole tournament scoring mark at 18-under 198. Lim has a four-shot lead over World No. 2 Jin Young Ko and fellow KLPGA member, Na Rin Ryu. If she were to win on Sunday as a non-member of the LPGA, she would have the opportunity to accept full LPGA Tour status, something she’s had her sights on for some time.
“I think when I started with golf, my ultimate goal was to make it to the LPGA,” Lim said. “And I would always see other players who would win the LPGA Tour events and automatically get to go to the LPGA, and I always kind of wanted that route for myself as well. So I think I have a really good opportunity in front of me. But I always thought that I wanted to build my competency here in Korea and then later, perhaps when I’m more ready, go to the LPGA. But I think I’m ready to grab the opportunity if it presents itself.”
After the missed fairway at 11, Lim hit the rest of the remaining fairways in the round. And that one missed fairway didn’t even matter: She birdied No. 11 anyway.