Golf coaching endowment honors alum

The Stanford men’s golf team delivered another strong performance this season, winning the Western Intercollegiate tournament and returning to the NCAA championships for the 56th time in the program’s history. With a newly endowed assistant coach position, the Cardinal are poised to continue recruiting and retaining top coaching talent.

The endowed position honors Hong Seh Lim, MS ’83, MS/PhD ’87, a longtime supporter of the men’s golf program who passed away in early 2023. The inaugural Hong Seh Lim Assistant Men’s Golf Coach will be hired soon. 

“We are truly grateful for the Lim family’s continuous support of Stanford Athletics,” said Bernard Muir, Stanford’s Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics. “Hong Seh was a friend of the program for many years, and I can’t think of a better way to honor his commitment to our student-athletes. The success of our men’s golf program reflects the extraordinary support we receive from the Stanford community.” 

Born in Hong Kong, Hong Seh Lim loved golf and travel. In 2014, he earned the rare distinction of playing on all 100 of the top golf courses around the world. He was a steadfast supporter of Stanford Athletics; he participated in the Shultz Cup golf fundraiser and served on the Stanford Athletics Board. Lim gave generously of his time and resources to Stanford, and the university recognized his many years of dedicated volunteer service with the 2021–2022 Stanford Medal.

Lim earned four graduate degrees from Stanford, where he met his wife, Vivian Lim, ’81, MS ’82. He went on to become a successful engineer and investor, working for IBM and starting a real estate investment company. The couple’s four children are also Stanford alums. 

“Hong Seh was at home on the golf course,” said Vivian Lim. “He loved Stanford and happily devoted himself to supporting the university and advancing its efforts. It felt appropriate to honor his memory in a way that will benefit a program he cared about for many years to come.”

Under the guidance of Knowles Family Director of Men’s Golf Conrad Ray, ’97, the Cardinal scored its third consecutive season with a tournament win and a tied-for-20th finish at the 2024 NCAA Championships, the team’s 16th appearance during Ray’s 20-year tenure. Seniors Karl Vilips and Michael Thorbjornsen—who secured his PGA TOUR this year—wrapped up their collegiate careers with impressive accolades, including being named PING All-Americans and recording two of the five lowest individual scoring averages in program history. The Cardinal will continue to build on this season’s momentum as it welcomes the top recruiting class of 2024 to the Farm this fall. 

“Hong Seh was committed to Stanford and a steadfast supporter and friend of our golf programs. With this position endowed in his name, we will be able to recruit the highest caliber coaches who will drive the success of future generations of our student-athletes,” said Ray.

This story originally appeared on Go Stanford.