“I’ve been golfing since I could walk!” says Muni He, a rising star golfer from China.
In November, He made headlines after earning a membership at the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), the largest organization for female pro golfers based in Daytona Beach, Florida.
However, those who followed more closely will remember how the 19-year-old pro caught people’s attention at the Q-Series, LPGA’s qualifying tournament: she never looked at the leaderboard until an hour after she had finished its final round.
“I just had to look away,” she said.
He, also known as “Lily,” started playing golf at the young age of six. While born in Chengdu, China, she is very much a global player, having attended elementary school in Vancouver, Canada and high school in San Diego, California.
“I grew up on the golf course because my dad was an avid golfer himself and really enjoyed the game,” He tells NextShark. “He was the one who really influenced me to get into the game.”
A former standout at the University of Southern California, He made her professional debut in December 2017 at the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, the final event of the Ladies European Tour (LET) in the said year. She then set her eyes on earning an LGPA Tour card for 2019.
He won at the Symetra Tour earlier last year, and by November, finished T-27 at the inaugural Q-Series, earning the much-coveted LGPA status. She advanced along with Jing Yan, who hails from Shanghai, and Xiyu Lin, who comes from Guangzhou, both reclaiming their LGPA memberships.
He’s decision to ignore the leaderboard before, during or after any of the eight rounds of the final stage of that qualifying tournament apparently helped her deal with anxiety. She informed loved ones about it ahead of the event, though her father slipped up halfway.
“I didn’t know I made it until everyone started congratulating when we were all done,” He told GolfChannel.com. “It’s the first time I’ve ever done that, not look where I stand on the leaderboard. I came feeling anxious, and I think not looking helped me.”
He, Jing Yan and Xiyu Lin join three other Chinese-born players on the LGPA in 2019. There’s Ruixin Liu, who won the money title on last year’s Symetra Tour, Yu Liu, and former World No. 1 Shanshan Feng.
Despite being a rookie, He already has a massive Instagram following. As of this writing, she has amassed 195,000 followers, while Feng, in comparison, has a little over 4,000.
He has upcoming tournaments in Hawaii, Los Angeles and San Francisco. As a rookie, she hopes to participate in as many events as possible.
“To prepare for this year, I’ve been working extra hard during the off season as well as my off weeks really trying to take my game to another level,” she tells NextShark.
Amid her busy schedule, she finds time for recreation. As her Instagram followers can probably tell, she loves the outdoors, among other things.
“Nowadays, I’ve been traveling a lot for my job, so whenever I’m home I just try to do things that’s relaxing and can help me to bounce back physically and mentally. I love outdoor activities, health/ fitness, and of course, yummy food,” she says. “I have a lot of other hobbies outside of golf to keep my mind busy. Hahaha.”
Needless to say, He is a promising golf star. The young pro still can’t believe she already has fans, but thanks supporters for giving her motivation.
“I think it’s crazy that I even have supporters or I guess fans haha. I’m so thankful really, it’s crazy to me how I receive all these really cool messages from people all over the world. It definitely motivates me and drives me to want to work harder and prove my abilities as a golfer on the course and as a person off the course.”
Featured Images via Instagram / @lilymhe
