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Christina Kim grew up in California and turned pro at eighteen, the same year she joined the LPGA Tour. By twenty, she’d already banked a million dollars in prize money and picked up her first two wins. Big laugh, louder personality, hard to miss.
She’s played the game everywhere - from the LPGA to the Ladies European Tour - and racked up three Solheim Cup appearances for Team USA. The kind of player who brings energy to every tee box, and who makes match play look like a contact sport.
Christina’s story has always been about more than golf. She’s talked openly about depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts, and how speaking honestly saved her life more than once. She doesn’t dress it up or turn it into a campaign. She just tells the truth and trusts that someone listening probably needs to hear it.
Off the course, she writes, commentates, paints, and talks about mental health the same way she talks about her swing - directly, with a bit of chaos, and a lot of heart.
Three LPGA wins, one in Europe, three Solheim Cups, and a career that proves personality and vulnerability can coexist in a sport that usually prefers its players quiet.
Christina's story is about what happens when you stop performing and start telling the truth.
For years, she filled every space with noise. Jokes, colour, energy, whatever it took to keep the focus off how she was actually feeling. It worked for a while, the way most coping mechanisms do. Then it didn't. The pressure, the travel, the expectation to always be "on" eventually ran her down. Turns out you can only maintain that level of performance for so long before something gives.
Speaking up wasn't a brand move or a carefully planned announcement. It was survival. Depression and suicidal thoughts had turned life into something she could no longer fake her way through, which is when most people finally stop pretending everything's fine. When she finally opened up, it wasn't polished or strategic. It was raw honesty. And it connected because some people recognised themselves in it.
Her story shows that openness isn't weakness. Once she stopped treating her mental health as something to hide, she found space to breathe again. Golf became part of her life, not the proof of it.
These days, she talks about emotions the same way she talks about swing mechanics. Some days you find rhythm, some days you don't, and that's okay. What matters is that you keep showing up, keep adjusting, and stop pretending that holding it together is the same thing as being okay. Because it isn't, and everyone knows it isn't, but somehow we all keep pretending anyway until someone like Christina reminds us we can just be honest.
If parts of Christina’s story connect with you, these might help:
Depression and Low Mood (UK) – Mind offers practical guides on understanding depression, treatment options, and how to find support without needing a referral.
🔗 mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/depression
Therapy and Support Options (UK) – NHS Talking Therapies offers free counselling and CBT you can self-refer to if you’re struggling with anxiety, stress, or low mood.
🔗 nhs.uk/talking-therapies
Peer Connection (UK) – Andy’s Man Club runs free, in-person talking groups across the UK for men who want to talk and listen without judgment.
🔗 andysmanclub.co.uk
Crisis Text Line (UK & US) – If you need immediate support but can’t talk, text SHOUT to 85258 in the UK or HOME to 741741 in the US to connect with a trained volunteer.
🔗 giveusashout.org | crisistextline.org
If You’re Struggling Right Now (24/7) –
• UK: Call Samaritans on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org
• US: Dial 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (988lifeline.org)
• Worldwide: Find verified helplines in your country at findahelpline.com
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