The year she turned 15, in her third year of middle school, she was selected for the national team. In 2011, she won four domestic junior events.
The breakthrough yearThe year she turned 17, she won the KLPGA Tour’s Lotte Mart Women’s Open as an amateur, ahead of the pros, and became known. In June, she set the record as the youngest winner on Japan’s women’s pro tour at the Suntory Ladies Open. That fall she turned pro and signed a sponsorship with Lotte Group, and in December she won the Hyundai China Ladies Open, the fastest win after turning pro.
In the 2013 season, she won once and received the KLPGA Tour Rookie of the Year and lowest scoring average awards. In 2014, the year she turned 19, she won five times at home and took the Player of the Year, money list, most wins and lowest scoring average awards, and in September she won the LPGA Tour major Evian Championship as a non-member, earning LPGA Tour status.
In 2015, her first full LPGA season, she won the JTBC Founders Cup, her third event, for her first win. In 2016, she won the season-opening Pure Silk Bahamas Classic for her third career tour win.
In 2018, she finished runner-up at the U.S. Women’s Open after a playoff. In 2020, she played mostly at home because of COVID-19 and won the KLPGA Tour money list and lowest scoring average awards for the first time in six years.
In May 2021, she won on the LPGA Tour for the first time in five years at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, and in August she tied for 15th at the Tokyo Olympics. In 2022, she won the Lotte Championship for her fifth career tour win.
In 2023, she won the Ascendant LPGA wire to wire for her sixth career win. In 2024, she won the individual event of the LET Aramco Team Series-Korea, the first held in Korea. In March 2025, she won the Ford Championship in a playoff and returned to the winner’s circle after 1 year 5 months, and in May she won the Aramco Korea Championship individual event for a second straight year.
In March 2026, the year she turned 31, she won the Founders Cup and the Ford Championship in back-to-back weeks for her ninth career tour win, in May she won on the KLPGA Tour for the first time in 4 years 7 months at the NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship, and in July she won the Lotte Open, giving her a win in every Lotte-named tournament. In August, she finished runner-up at the FM Championship, putting off a 10th tour win.
Kim Hyo-joo (born Jul 14, 1995) became known on Apr 15, 2012, the year she turned 17, when she won the KLPGA Tour’s Lotte Mart Women’s Open as an amateur. She turned pro that fall, and in 2014, the year she turned 19, she won the LPGA Tour major Evian Championship and moved to the U.S. tour.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Was first selected for the national team in her third year of middle school.
Source 01 · Sports Donga (Korean) · High school student Kim Hyo-joo’s national team record · opens in a new tabSource 02 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Kim Hyo-joo sweeps four domestic junior events this season · opens in a new tabWon four domestic junior events that year.
Source 02 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Kim Hyo-joo sweeps four domestic junior events this season · opens in a new tabEntered the KLPGA Tour season opener as an amateur and won wire to wire, leading all four days. She finished at 16 under for the tournament, nine strokes clear of second place. She is from Wonju, Gangwon Province, and started golf at age 6.
Won as an amateur. She set the record as the youngest winner (16 years 332 days) and the lowest 18-hole score (61).
Source 05 · News1 (Korean) · Hosimbae amateur golf tournament won by Kim Hyo-seok and Kim Hyo-joo · opens in a new tabSource 06 · Asia Economy (Korean) · Interview after winning the Suntory Ladies Open · opens in a new tabAnnounced her move to the pro ranks and on Oct. 15 signed a two-year main sponsorship with Lotte Group for 500 million won, the best terms for a rookie. Four days later she made her pro debut at the LPGA Tour’s KEB-HanaBank Championship.
Source 07 · MK Sports (Korean) · Turning pro, Kim Hyo-joo signs a 500 million won sponsorship with Lotte Group · opens in a new tabSource 08 · SBS (Korean) · LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship, how was Kim Hyo-joo’s first pro debut score? · opens in a new tabHerald Business reported that it was the fastest win after turning pro, a faster mark than the record Kim Mi-hyun set at the 1996 Midopa Women’s Open. She finished at 11 under, two strokes clear of second place.
Source 09 · Herald Business (Korean) · “Monster golfer” Kim Hyo-joo · opens in a new tabWon once in the 2013 season and received the Rookie of the Year award and the lowest scoring average award.
Source 10 · Xports News (Korean) · 2013 KLPGA awards, Rookie of the Year and lowest scoring average · opens in a new tabWon her first LPGA major as a non-member, securing LPGA Tour status.
Source 11 · Xports News (Korean) · Kim Hyo-joo wins the Evian Championship, heads straight to the LPGA (roundup) · opens in a new tabWon five times that season and took the Player of the Year award (610 points), the money list (1,208,978,590 won), the most-wins award and the lowest scoring average award. It was the first KLPGA Tour season with earnings above 1 billion won.
Source 12 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Kim Hyo-joo sweeps four KLPGA titles, awards ceremony held · opens in a new tabSource 13 · Hankook Business (Korean) · Still on top after 12 years: Kim Hyo-joo’s remarkable evolution · opens in a new tabWon in her third event since her LPGA debut, at 21 under, 267.
Source 14 · Dailian (Korean) · Kim Hyo-joo wins the JTBC Founders Cup, first win since her LPGA debut · opens in a new tabShot 7 under on the last day of the 2016 season opener to win at 18 under for the tournament.
Source 15 · News1 (Korean) · [LPGA] Kim Hyo-joo wins the Pure Silk Bahamas opener, third career win (roundup) · opens in a new tabStarted the fourth round six strokes off the lead and shot 5 under to force a playoff with Ariya Jutanugarn, but made a bogey on the fourth playoff hole and finished runner-up. Her world ranking rose from No. 67 to No. 33.
Source 16 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Kim Hyo-joo, U.S. Women’s Open runner-up, jumps 34 places to No. 33 in the world · opens in a new tabSource 17 · Newsis (Korean) · Kim Hyo-joo loses to Jutanugarn in a playoff at the U.S. Women’s Open · opens in a new tabReceived the money list and lowest scoring average awards for the first time in six years at the ceremony at Lotte Hotel World in Jamsil, Seoul. She won twice on the KLPGA Tour that year.
Source 18 · Herald Business (Korean) · Choi Hye-jin takes the 2020 KLPGA awards for a third year, Kim Hyo-joo money list and popularity award · opens in a new tabSource 19 · Bridge Economy (Korean) · Choi Hye-jin wins Player of the Year a third straight year; Kim Hyo-joo takes the money list and lowest scoring average after six years · opens in a new tabWon for the first time in five years and three months, since the Pure Silk Bahamas Classic in February 2016. In the final round she made eight birdies with no bogeys for an 8-under 64.
Source 20 · News1 (Korean) · Kim Hyo-joo wins the HSBC Women’s World Championship, first title in five years four months · opens in a new tabSource 21 · Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · “Return of the genius” Kim Hyo-joo, fourth LPGA Tour win · opens in a new tabShot 4 under in the final round at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama Prefecture and finished tied for 15th at 9 under, 275.
Source 22 · Hankyoreh (Korean) · Korean women’s golf ends the Olympics with its best result, a tie for ninth · opens in a new tabSource 23 · News1 (Korean) · [Olympics] Women’s golf misses a repeat; divers Woo Ha-ram and Kim Young-taek out in the semifinals · opens in a new tabWon at 11 under, 277, at Hoakalei Country Club in Hawaii, two strokes ahead of Hinako Shibuno.
Source 24 · Newsis (Korean) · Kim Hyo-joo wins the Lotte Championship, fifth LPGA win (roundup) · opens in a new tabWon her first title of the season wire to wire.
Source 25 · Bridge Economy (Korean) · Kim Hyo-joo wins the Ascendant LPGA wire to wire, first win of the season and sixth career win · opens in a new tabWon the individual event of the first edition held in Korea wire to wire at New Korea Country Club in Goyang.
Source 26 · Golf Hankook (Korean) · Kim Hyo-joo wins the individual event at the Ladies European Tour Aramco Team Series wire to wire · opens in a new tabTied with Lilia Vu at Whirlwind Golf Club in Chandler, Arizona, and won in a playoff at 22 under, 266. It was her seventh career tour win, 1 year 5 months after the Ascendant LPGA in October 2023, and her world ranking rose from No. 30 to No. 11.
Source 27 · Newsis (Korean) · Kim Hyo-joo tops the LPGA Tour for the first time in 1 year 5 months · opens in a new tabSource 28 · Sports Hankook (Korean) · Kim Hyo-joo, first win in 1 year 5 months, from No. 30 to No. 11 in the world · opens in a new tabSealed the win with a birdie on No. 17 for a second straight individual title.
Source 29 · Golf Hankook (Korean) · Kim Hyo-joo wins the LET Aramco Korea Championship individual event for a second straight year · opens in a new tabWon at Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club in California ahead of world No. 2 Nelly Korda and moved up to No. 4 in the world rankings.
Source 30 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · Kim Hyo-joo, back to No. 4 in the world, goes for a second straight win and a repeat title · opens in a new tabWon for a second straight week after the Founders Cup, recording her first multi-win season since her debut. At Whirlwind Golf Club she finished at 28 under, 260, two strokes ahead of Nelly Korda, and through three rounds she set an LPGA Tour record low for 54 holes (25 under, 191).
Source 31 · Sports World (Korean) · Kim Hyo-joo wins the Ford Championship: first multi-win season, back-to-back wins, repeat title · opens in a new tabBeat Park Hyun-kyung by one stroke at 9 under, 207, at Suwon Country Club New Course in Yongin. It was her first KLPGA tournament win in 4 years 7 months.
Source 32 · MBC (Korean) · Kim Hyo-joo wins on the KLPGA Tour for the first time in 4 years 7 months, 14th career win · opens in a new tabCame from behind in the final round for her fourth win of the season and 15th on the KLPGA Tour. From the Lotte Mart Women’s Open as an amateur to this one, she has won every tournament carrying the Lotte name.
Source 33 · Newspim (Korean) · Kim Hyo-joo comes from behind to win the Lotte Open, fourth win of the season and 15th on the KLPGA Tour · opens in a new tabHeld the lead alone at one point in the final round, but made a bogey on No. 16, gave the lead to Yin Ruoning and finished runner-up.
Source 34 · Segye Ilbo (Korean) · In tears on the doorstep of a 10th win: Kim Hyo-joo’s disappointing runner-up at the FM Championship · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2010–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
What did they do, and at what age?
AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
Debut and breakthrough are marked separately, and every record has a source.
Sports · South Korea
Jul 14, 1995 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1995: the year of the event minus 1995, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.09.29 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.