‘Smile Candy’ Lee Bo-mi (35, photo), who dominated Japanese women’s golf, is preparing for the ‘Last Dance’. On the 19th of next month, she will retire from the Japanese Tour after 13 years of playing, with the final being the Nobuta Group Masters GC Ladies on the Japan Ladies Professional Golf (JLPGA) Tour held in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Bo-mi Lee met with the Korea Economic Daily on the 17th, about a month before her retirement tournament, and said, “I visit the practice range every day to improve my swing sense to show my fans a good performance,” and added, “My goal is to give good energy to the fans until the final round.” “He said.
Bomi Lee is the main character who started the ‘K Golf’ craze in Japan. She debuted on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour in 2009 and won the money title for her second consecutive year before moving on to the JLPGA Tour in 2011. Bo-mi Lee has won a total of 21 games during her 13 years on the Japan Tour, and she swept individual titles such as most wins, average strokes, and grand prize, as well as being the money winner for two consecutive years in 2015 and 2016. In recognition of her achievements, she received permanent seeding on the KLPGA Tour. There are only eight permanent seed holders on the KLPGA Tour, including Se-Ri Park and Inbee Park.
His main weapon is a precise iron shot. Caddy Shigenori Shimizu, who shared 17 wins on the JLPGA tour with Bomi Lee, said, “Bomi Lee is a player who can hit the exact distance when you tell her ‘how many yards can she carry?’” Japanese golf fans were enthusiastic about him, who always had a bright smile on his precise iron shots. In 2016, Lee Bomi’s character ‘Bomi-chan’ appeared in the Japanese animation ‘Crayon Crayon Shin-chan’.
Bo-mi Lee’s unique iron shot disappeared and her slump began. This is because her psychological burden has increased after winning the prize money title for two consecutive years. Her winning streak came to a halt, and a vicious cycle continued where her performance declined due to the pressure. He confessed, “I decided to retire after seeing myself cheering on the great play of other players during competitions.”
Earlier this year, Bomi Lee announced her retirement from her Japanese tour. He announced his retirement, but he said he had a lot of regrets. Looking ahead to his retirement, he said he was “cool”. He said, “I often smile on the way to the practice field because I think I will feel refreshed after finishing the retirement match. In this retirement match, I don’t think about anything and just want to show my fans a good side.”
Recently, concerns have continued that Korean women’s golf is in crisis. This is because the number of Korean players playing overseas is decreasing. Bomi Lee said, “In Japan, we used to play with about 20 Korean players, but now there are about 10.” She analyzed, “This is the result of the improvement in the Korean tour environment, but the path to overseas tours has become more difficult and narrow.”
He chose “when I received the permanent seeding ticket” as the happiest moment during his 15 years of tour activities. He said, “I felt like I had received a big award and was recognized for the life I had devoted solely to golf.” Permanent seeding on the KLPGA Tour is now called ‘picking stars in the sky.’ In the past, the standard was 20 wins on the KLPGA tour and 20 wins on the US, Europe, and Japan first division tours, but now it has risen to 30 wins.먹튀검증
He said, “It is unfortunate that the high standards for permanent seeding will discourage players from taking on the challenge.” “Female athletes face big changes due to marriage and childbirth. When you feel like taking a break and giving up on golf, a permanent seed ticket can be a good goal to convince yourself, “But let’s try one more time.” But I think the standard of 30 wins is so high that we end up giving up. “If we had more realistic and achievable goals, wouldn’t we be able to encourage players to pursue longer runs?”
Bomi Lee, who reigned as the queen of golf in Japan, said, “Golf is still difficult.” “I never thought my swing was pretty, and I’m still working on improving it. Even if you get along well on the practice field, it is not easy to connect to the actual field. “I feel the same way amateur golfers feel every weekend.”
As he is virtually retiring from active duty, what kind of player would he like to remain? Bomi Lee said, “He wants to be remembered as ‘a person who smiles easily.’” “Fans say they like that I always give out bright and positive energy. I think I live that way myself. “I want to remain that kind of person in the future.”