Golf is a sport full of stress. Among the many sources of stress, driving distance and putting stand as the twin pillars. Kim Hyo-joo and Yoon Lee-na, who are serving as the dual aces of Korean women's golf on the LPGA Tour this year, also went through a difficult time last year because of golf-related stress.
Kim Hyo-joo's record last year was not bad. She won one tournament and performed well, ranking fifth in scoring average (69.87), seventh in CME points, and 13th on the money list ($1,737,466). However, her rankings in putting and driving distance stood at opposite extremes. She showed her top-class skills by ranking first in putting average (28.59 putts), but her driving distance ranking remained at 135th (247.36 yards).
During last winter's training, Kim Hyo-joo put a lot of effort into increasing her distance. She increased her workload, and after deliberating about how to improve her distance and consulting with her trainer, she started doing pull-ups. At first she could not do a single one, but gradually the number increased, and her driving distance grew along with it.
Kim Hyo-joo's current driving distance ranking is 98th (261.08 yards). Although the season is not yet halfway done, her tee shots are flying an average of 13.72 yards farther than last year. Her putting average ranks first again this year (27.96 putts). Her statistics are far better than last year. She ranks second in scoring average (68.92), second in CME points, and fourth on the money list ($1,289,942), all surpassing last year's marks. On top of that, she has already won two tournaments.
If Kim Hyo-joo struggled with distance stress last year, Yoon Lee-na's putting stress was no small matter either.
Yoon Lee-na's putting average ranking last year was 102nd (30.18 putts). Despite her powerful drives that ranked 13th in driving distance (272.94 yards), putts that frequently missed the hole held back Yoon Lee-na, who wanted to soar.
She finished 48th in scoring average (70.98), 63rd in CME points, and 63rd on the money list ($566,970). It was a dismal scorecard hard to believe for Yoon Lee-na, who had topped the 2024 Korea LPGA Tour in money, Player of the Year, and scoring average.
This year, Yoon Lee-na's putting has improved dramatically. Her putting average has climbed to 60th (29.75 putts), and above all, her ranking in putts per green in regulation has risen to 17th (1.77 putts). Last year her putts per green in regulation ranked 44th (1.78 putts). Her premium drives remain as strong as ever, and as her putting has improved, her results have become remarkable. She ranks eighth in scoring average (70.31), 10th in CME points, and seventh on the money list ($861,145). The "2026 Yoon Lee-na" is an entirely different player from the "2025 Yoon Lee-na."
Once both distance and putting are conquered, they are no longer sources of stress. For Kim Hyo-joo, distance stress no longer exists. Yoon Lee-na, too, no longer has major worries about putting stress. Having overcome their "golf stress," both Kim Hyo-joo and Yoon Lee-na are now entering a time of tremendous leaps forward.
