Lee Kyoung-hoon remembers parents’ sacrifice 02:29, 07/06/2022

As the only child, K.H. Lee  did not own the latest golf clubs or branded apparel unlike other Korean kids who grew up idolizing Tiger Woods or K.J. Choi.

His parents, who operated a restaurant in Seoul, kept aside money they earned to largely fund Lee’s passion and dreams in golf that has kept Lee humble and appreciative of the sacrifices made by his father, Sang Moo and mother, Hea Won Hong.

Lee can’t thank his mother enough for keeping the family business running primarily on her own while his father took on the role of driver, chaperon and confidante during his formative golf years.

“Without my mother, we would not have been able to come this far,” said Lee, who enjoyed a career best 31 st place on the FedExCup points list last season following a maiden win at the AT&T Byron Nelson.

It was only when Lee was much older that he learned of some of the hardship his mother endured, including sleeping alone in the restaurant as it was too far and sometimes too late to make the commute home after business hours. He also appreciates the fact his folks carried the financial burden without his knowledge.

Hae Won said she and her husband simply wanted to do what all parents would, which was to provide Lee with every opportunity to excel in life after their son got hooked to golf at age 13. “There were times when I wished someone was by my side running the restaurant,” she said. “The restaurant was for Kyoung - Hoon (K.H.) to do well, so I was able to persevere and get through it.”

The older Lee is proud of his son’s achievements in the U.S. and also in Asia, where he has won twice each on the Korean circuit and Japan Golf Tour. Sang Moo said K.H. would accept what they could provide as they spent time together at training camps and tournaments both at home and abroad.

Initially, the parents did not imagine Lee would become a professional golfer. In school, their son was good in his studies and was picked to participate in short put as he was pudgy. Golf soon caught Lee’s attention as his grandfather played the sport and a driving range opened near the family restaurant.

Although his son has already earned US$5.6 million through four seasons on the PGA TOUR, Lee Sr. knows K.H. will remain hungry for more success on the fairways due to his upbringing and family struggles. 

“Money was the bottom line,” the father said. “It wasn't enough ... that's when I learned the spirit of staying hungry and why athletes need a spirit of staying hungry. We showed Kyoung - Hoon our situation openly, but we didn't explicitly tell him our finances were difficult. He could learn something with that.”