On paper, it was a David-versus-Goliath matchup. The challenger to Kim Hyo-joo (31, Lotte), the world No. 3 with nine career LPGA Tour victories, was Lee Se-hee (29, Samchully), who has no KLPGA Tour wins and is ranked just 254th in the world. But the title race that unfolded on the course rendered the gap in name value and world ranking meaningless. Lee battled to the very end in a nail-biting duel, claiming a runner-up finish—the best result since her debut.
Lee posted a 14-under-par total in the final fourth round of the KLPGA Tour Lotte Open, which concluded Sunday at Bears Best Cheongna Golf Club (par 72) in Incheon, finishing tied for second, one stroke behind winner Kim Hyo-joo (15 under). She shared the lead with Kim until late in the round, but missed a par putt of about 1.4 meters at the par-3 17th hole, making a bogey that handed over the trophy. Her first career victory was postponed, but the performance that pressured a world top-ranked player was fully explained by the data. At its center was the precise "magic of her shots" that relentlessly attacked the greens.
The most dramatic change confirmed in the data from this tournament is the accuracy of her iron shots. Before this event, Lee's season green-in-regulation rate stood at 70th (67.74%). This week, however, she recorded a remarkable 86.11% (62/72), overwhelming the field average (68.86%). Among her 3.28 total strokes gained (SG: Total, 4th), the biggest contributor was strokes gained: approach, a measure of iron-shot accuracy. Lee gained an average of 2.15 strokes per round (6th) in this category. In the third round, her strokes gained: approach reached as high as 3.66.
Her ball-striking on par-3 and par-5 holes was nearly flawless. Lee never missed a green on the tournament's par-3 holes (16) and par-5 holes (16), recording a 100% green-in-regulation rate. On par 3s, her average proximity when hitting the green was 7.91 yards (7.2 meters), closer than the field average (7.97 yards), and her probability of making birdie or better after hitting the green was 31.25%, double the field average (17.46%). On par 5s, her average distance remaining to the hole after the third shot was just 4.75 yards, about half the field average (9.56 yards), as she consistently created birdie chances by sticking shots close to the pin.
Behind the sharp iron play were steady tee shots. Lee's fairway hit rate at this event was 67.86%, above the tour average (63.62%). Her average driving distance of 246 yards was also more than 5 yards longer than the tour average (240.87 yards). When she found the fairway, her tee shots traveled 246.27 yards, leaving 180.56 yards to the pin—shorter than the tour average (183.79 yards)—and allowing her to attack the greens with greater ease.
Behind this surge was the close guidance of Samchully sports team coach Kim Hae-rim. Kim, who has accompanied Lee to tournaments since the second half of last year, acting as her own gallery, offered immediate feedback whenever Lee wavered. "I was mistiming impact as my body's center shifted back or slid forward, but because the coach checked it on-site right after each round ended, I was able to find my body's balance," Lee said. "Guiding her toward a relaxed swing tempo and a precise down-blow swing suited to this course's grass type (cool-season grass) led to the good results," coach Kim explained.
On the other hand, her short game around the greens and putting precision remain tasks to solve for a first victory. Her strokes gained around the green at this event was minus 0.17, ranking 81st—she actually lost strokes. Her putting conversion also fell somewhat short given the chances she had set up close to the hole. Her make rate on putts from 1 to under 2 yards was 78.57% (11/14), below the field average (83.56%), and her make rate on putts from 2 to under 3 yards was 50% (4/8), short of the average (53.78%).
Despite the lingering disappointment in the data, Lee's own assessment was different. "My putting feel has improved a lot recently as I've been correcting my putting with pro Park Chang-jun," she said. "I can feel that my putting keeps getting better. Having gained confidence from this runner-up finish, I believe my first win is not far off if I shore up my weaknesses."
Golf tours are full of fascinating data. Subscribe to Data Golf and you can easily and enjoyably discover the hidden stories in golf through a variety of statistics and records. If there is any data you are curious about or a topic you would like us to cover, please send us an email anytime.
