Hana Financial Group Announces 11-Member Golf Team Lineup... Ham Jung-woo and Tabatanakit Join

Hana Financial Group Golf Team Player Kim Yubin

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Kim] Hana Financial Group is forming a new golf team of 11 players to welcome the 2020 new season.

Hana Financial announced on the 4th that it has newly recruited KPGA player Ham Jeong-woo (26), LPGA player Patty Tavatanakit (21, female), and KLPGA player Kim Yu-bin (21, female), completing the group golf team lineup with a total of 11 players, including existing sponsored players such as Minjee Lee (LPGA), No Ye-rim (LPGA), Allison Lee (LPGA), and Lee Seung-min (KPGA), to start the new season.

Player Ham Jeong-woo emerged as the next-generation icon of the Korean Tour by winning his first professional victory at last year's KPGA Korean Tour major tournament, the SK Telecom Open, ranking 3rd in the 2019 KPGA Korean Tour Genesis points and 2nd in the Genesis prize money ranking.

In the second half of last year, he also recorded two wins on the AbemaTV Tour, the second-tier tour of the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), earning a full JGTO tour card for 2020. Starting this year, he plans to participate in Korean and Japanese tournaments, alternating between the KPGA Korean Tour and JGTO while wearing the Hana Financial logo.

Patty Tavatanakit, a strong rookie candidate on the LPGA Tour alongside No Ye-rim, is joining the Hana Financial golf team.

Patty Tavatanakit, a promising player who was noticed early on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) stage, won the Junior World Championship (11-12 age group) in 2012, and won the LA Junior Open consecutively in 2014 and 2015. In 2014, at the Callaway Junior World Golf Championship, she set a tournament 54-hole lowest score record with 193 strokes, 23 under par, at the young age of 14, winning the event.

In 2016, she achieved a triple crown by ranking first in all three major U.S. junior rankings (Polo Golf Rankings, Golfweek Girls Junior Rankings, Junior Golf Scoreboard Rankings). She also won the Rolex Tournament Championship and the Ping Invitational, both AJGA invitationals, in 2016.

Kim Yu-bin, a promising player in the KLPGA, stood out by winning the 10th event of the 2016 KLPGA Jump Tour and secured a full tour card for 2020 after finishing as runner-up in last year's KLPGA King & Queen Championship.

With the addition of Ham Jeong-woo, Patty Tavatanakit, and Kim Yu-bin, the Hana Financial golf team has formed a lineup of 11 players who will compete on the LPGA, KLPGA, and KPGA stages, including Minjee Lee, No Ye-rim, Allison Lee, Heo Yoon-kyung, Shu Ai-sang, Park Sang-hyun, Park Bae-jong, and Lee Seung-min.

Park Paul, head of Hana Financial Sports Marketing Team, said, "With the recruitment of Patty Tavatanakit, who is attracting attention as a rookie of the year candidate along with No Ye-rim, and the addition of Kim Yu-bin, we expect that Hana Financial players could win both the LPGA and KLPGA rookie of the year titles this year."

Hana Financial supports the revitalization of domestic tours through the KLPGA Tour 'Hana Financial Group Championship' held at the end of September and the 'Hana Bank Singapore Ladies Open' in early November, leading the growth and development of Asian golf centered on the New Southern Policy region.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.