Jang Outduels Kang In Korea

Jang Outduels Kang In KoreaSometimes you need reminding. Sometimes you forget how good something was, especially if it’s been gone for a while. Memories fade with time. That’s what made the BMW Ladies Championship such a treat. It reminded us of a great personality in women’s golf whom LPGA fans don’t see on a regular basis anymore. Ha Na Jang, the ebullient player from Seoul, South Korea, who made a splash on the LPGA Tour with her fist pumps and victory dances, captured her fifth LPGA title, the BMW Ladies Championship, in her homeland. Jang defeated Danielle Kang with a birdie on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff, the par-4 10th at LPGA International Busan.It capped an incredible day of golf in Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city. Kang, who won her third LPGA title two Sundays ago at the Buick LPGA Shanghai, made eight birdies in her first 13 holes on Sunday but couldn’t make another one in the closing stretch. Five finishing pars gave her a 64 and put her in the clubhouse at 19-under-par 269.
Image: art in textMeanwhile, Jang made a charge late, starting with an eagle on the par-5 11th. She added three more birdies on the back nine (at Nos. 13, 15 and 17) to shoot a final-nine 31. Her closing 65 left her at 19 under as well. The two headed back for the playoff to the 18th, which both parred twice. It wasn’t until they reached the par-4 10th, a hole Kang had birdied in regulation, that it ended when Jang rolled in a 7-footer for birdie and thrust her arms skyward to the cheers of the fans.“Nobody really knows what the future holds,” Jang said. “I just hope that through this experience, I can grow, and so I don't really have any grandiose goals or anything that I want particularly, but I just hope to grow as a player.”Ad embed: Ben HoganJang has played sporadically on the LPGA Tour the past three years, showing up for the majors and the CME Group Tour Championship when she’s qualified. Her primary tour has been the Korean LPGA. That is due in part to her mother’s poor health but also due to some controversy that erupted from her outgoing demeanor in the States. She was criticized by South Korean media and fans for being too boisterous, something that is seen as rude in Korean culture. And while her celebration at LPGA International Busan was emotional, it was in no way over the top.“I think right now, instead of focusing on winning all these different titles, my goal is to be a really happy and fulfilled golfer,” Jang said.RESULTS | R ACE TO THE CME GLOBEStaff and Wire ReportsWhatsInsideCoverWhat's InsideThat We Haven’t Seen It All From TigerCallaway Super Hybrid 102819An Outing With PunchFisher’s Roller Coaster Resumes Its RisePlus ExcerptEuro Titleist 102819Picture This: 1Picture This: 4Picture This: 20Picture This: 49Picture This: 81A Quick 9Euro PING 102819KBS Extends Shaft Expertise To WoodsRange RatWoods’ 82nd Win ‘Just Crazy’Brown Scores Last-Gasp TriumphSingh Brar, Wang Keep Cards With Portugal HeroicsFire Still Burns In Mellower AlfredssonLPGA 102819Jang Outduels Kang In KoreaRolex Player Of The Year Ko Focused On GratitudeHe Leads LPGA Q-SeriesU.S. Tops Canada To Win Women’s PGA CupA Day At The OpenR&A Women In Golf Charter Continues To GrowHill, 15, Sets Mark With MENA Tour TriumphStatisticsPostScriptMasthead