Soo Jin Yang: The Early Years

Nov 12, 2015 12:17:18 GMT philknj said:

Nov 11, 2015 18:06:18 GMT HappyFan said:

Jung Eun Han was on course to become as big a name as Hyo Joo Kim; but she was a complete bust when she turned pro. I think she may still be struggling in the minor leagues right now.

HF, you are absolutely right...Han is playing the KLPGA Nightmare Dream Tour - 10 MCs in 2015.   She played the big tour in 2013 (best finish was 47th), but did not play in 2014, don't know why. 

I don't remember Han...couldn't believe she was ten strokes better than everyone else in that tourney above.

She was no joke! I looked up some info on my blog. From 2010, here's what I wrote about that year's Rush & Cash Classic and several of the 2009 KLPGA Majors:

seoulsisters.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/klpga-rush-cash-classic-teen-stars-keep-on-coming/

But the names that stand out on this week’s leaderboard are Hyo Joo Kim and Jung Eun Han. Both are teenage amateurs who are part of the Korean National team, and have already accomplished some impressive things in their short careers on the international stage. This week, Han came out on top, finishing second place at 8 under, just two shots behind the winner. Kim was three shots behind her at 5 under total, in a tie for third with several pros.

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At those same two Majors, a 14 year old golfer named Hyo Joo Kim was also a factor in the results. Particularly at the Hite Cup, where she was in fifth place as late as the start of the final round before she faded to her eventual finish of 13th. Kim joined the Korean national team, where she has made a lot of noise. At this year’s Queen Sirikit Cup, Kim powered the Korean team to their fourth straight win. She also shot a final round 65 to win the individual gold medal by 8 shots.

Meanwhile, the same team also featured another young golfer, Jung Eun Han. Han may have been overshadowed by Kim at the Sirikit Cup, but it was she who had the last laugh at the Rush and Cash Classic. She beat her rival by three shots, and had a shot at taking the title until Hye Youn Kim pulled off three birdies in a row in the middle of her back nine to establish a lead she would not lose again. Still, a second place for a teenage amateur is darn great.

As an aside, the next paragraph is interesting in retrospect:

But don’t look now, because even these youngsters are looking over their shoulders at the next group coming up behind them. At the same Queen Sirikit competition, New Zealand fielded a team that included a 12 year old Korean expatriate named Lydia Ko. Ko had just come off a 7th place finish at an official LET event, the Pegasus New Zealand Women’s Open. She finished tied for 4th at the Queen Sirikit Cup in the individual results, ahead of Han. Who knows what she may have accomplished in five more years, when she’ll finally be old enough to join the KLPGA tour (!!).


In the 2011 KLPGA Primer, I wrote this (Han was a rookie that year):

Last year, Jung Eun Han was one of the top amateurs in the world, perhaps the very best. Among her accomplishments was leading the Korean national team in an absolute rout over the rest of the world at the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. The team won by a mind blowing 17 strokes over an American squad that included Danielle Kang, the US Women’s Amateur Champ, and Jessica Korda, who is now on the LPGA tour. They also demolished the all time scoring record at the event. Han won the individual honors as well, besting the all time stroke record set by Jenny Chuasiriporn in 1998. Han has also proved herself in KLPGA competition, having come close to winning an event last year before settling for second (at the same LIG Classic that fellow amateur Bae won). She also contended at one of the same Majors (Ha Na) Jang excelled at in 2009.

Interestingly, Ha Na Jang was also a rookie that year, but both of them had terrible years. Jang, however, finally whipped herself into shape in the latter half of 2012, while Han never did.