CARLSBAD, CA – MARCH 22: In-Kyung Kim of South Korea poses for a portrait at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort on March 22, 2017 in Carlsbad, California. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

At the age most teens are getting behind the steering wheel for the first time, professional golfer In-Kyung “I.K.” Kim was traveling a different road — one that would eventually lead her to the LPGA Tour.

At 16 and not knowing a lick of English, she left her family and home country of South Korea to pursue an athletic career in the United States.

Now 28, and a seasoned veteran with four LPGA Tour wins under her belt, she’s pulling others into the very sport that has expanded her world and given her so much. That includes a large population of Special Olympics athletes.

And to think, it all started when a classmate brought a trophy into school.

Home On The Range

Kim was involved in swimming, tae kwon do, and piano long before she picked up a golf club.

“I’m an only child, and at first my parents weren’t really that supportive of me liking sports growing up,” she said.

Her father began playing golf in his 30’s, so she would accompany him to the driving range on occasion, but her interest never developed until one of her friends brought a shiny prize into the classroom.

“My friend actually skipped school on a Friday afternoon and came back to school on Monday with a trophy,” Kim said. “I asked, ‘Where did you get the trophy.’ He told me he played in a golf tournament. That’s when I asked my dad if I could play golf. I was nine years old and wanted a trophy.”

With the closest golf course two hours from her home, her father dropped her off at the city’s driving range. She quit all other extra-curricular activities and practically lived there.

“The first year, I was hitting buckets of balls in the afternoons after school,” she said. “I didn’t play on a golf course until six months after practicing.”

The first round she actually played, she shot a 145. Realizing how much Kim loved the sport, her parents got her a coach who then signed her up for her first tournament at 10 years old.

“I didn’t really become good until two years after starting,” she said. “I was shooting in the 100’s and high 90’s. Then I dropped to the 80’s and 70’s, which encouraged me to enter more tournaments.”

Her game improved so much that she became a member of the Korean National Team in 2003 and 2004, and had three wins on the International Junior Golf Tour.

Then the opportunity arose for Kim to move to South Carolina to attend the Hank Haney International Golf Academy (IJGA), a full-time junior golf boarding school.

“My family always wanted me to do what I wanted to do, so they were supportive of my LPGA aspirations,” Kim said. “It was a place where I could learn the game, get used to the culture, and learn the language. It wasn’t just about golf. It was also about education and following my dream.”

BEIJING, CHINA – OCTOBER 02: In-Kyung Kim of Korea with the trophy after winning The 2016 Reignwood LPGA Classic on October 2, 2016 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images)

So in 2005, Kim moved to the U.S, where one would presume that the language barrier would impede her ability to learn from an English-speaking instructor.

“Actually, I think golf helped me to learn the language,” she said. “Body language can be just as meaningful as the spoken word.”

She began playing in American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournaments, and by 2007, she turned pro.

“I never thought I’d be able to make money playing golf to be honest,” she said.

During her rookie year, she notched five top-5 finishes and reeled in her first Tour victory in 2008. However, there were also the inevitable lows.

In 2012, she had a one-foot putt lip out on the 18th hole of the Kraft Nabisco Championship. The miss forced a playoff, which she eventually lost. It would have been her first win at a Major.

“In my early 20’s, I really wanted to be famous and popular,” Kim said. “Then I got famous for my putt, and I thought, maybe being famous and popular isn’t so good. When people were talking about my mistake more than the effort I was giving, it really confused me and it led me to work on my inner-self. It changed my values and almost everything I cared about in life.”

A Special Place To Tee Off

As Kim was doing some self-discovery, she also took notice of what fellow pros were doing outside of tournament play.

“On Tour, there are a lot of role models that I get to be around, and there are a lot of players who have their own foundations or have organizations they support,” she said. “I was so inspired by them that I wanted to find my own way to give back.”

She consulted with Sean Pyun, the vice president and managing director of LPGA Asia, and he introduced her to the Special Olympics.

Photo courtesy of the LPGA Tour

She began donating her time to coaching Special Olympics athletes through various golf clinics. Then after her third Tour win at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, she donated her entire $220,000 prize to charity. Half went to the Lorena Ochoa Foundation and the other half went to Special Olympics.

She became a Special Olympics Ambassador in 2012, taking on the responsibility of growing the game of golf. And it’s one she doesn’t take lightly. In fact, she won the 2015 Kia Community Assist Award for her charitable efforts.

We all know the positive impact Special Olympics has, but what was it exactly that drew Kim in?

“Everyone is accepted and included no matter who you are,” Kim said. “They don’t look at me as just a golfer. They treat me like a friend, and I love that. People are not judged by their scores or outcomes, and everyone has so much compassion and gratitude for one another.”

So with added friends and a greater balance in her golf life, this LPGA Tour pro realizes the game is so much more than the numbers posted on the leaderboard.

Her advice to the young golfers out there who aspire to reach the LPGA Tour?

“What really worked for me was I just had the goal of wanting to improve my game,” she said. “Be proud not only of the outcome, but of the effort that you give.”

Spoken like a true Special Olympics coach.