[2020 New Start④] 'South Africa Study Abroad' Kang Ji-sun "Late Bloomer Storm GO~"

Entering KLPGA Tour at 18th with Dream Tour Prize Money, Leading with 260-Yard Long Drive "More Desperate Because It's Late"

Kang Ji-seon challenges for the KLPGA Tour Rookie of the Year title in the 2020 season.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] "Please remember my name."

This is Kang Ji-seon (24, Samchully)'s declaration of challenge. Last year, she secured her 2020 season card by ranking 18th in the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Dream (2nd division) Tour money rankings with 32.69 million won. She is still not well known to golf fans. However, the industry regards her as a 'blue chip.' She was selected early last June for the Samchully Sports Team. This year, she will also wear Master Bunny by Chris F&C. It is the excitement of a rookie who says, "I am really looking forward to this year."

Kang Ji-seon is the owner of a unique background. As a child, she was active as a 100m sprinter and long jumper. In the 6th grade of elementary school, she picked up a golf club when she went to the practice range with her father. She went to South Africa for golf study abroad in middle school and entered Daytona State College in Florida, USA. This allowed her to learn English while freely playing golf. During her studies in the US, she ranked first in women's golf in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

In August 2017, she returned to Korea and turned professional. Her main weapon is a 'piercing iron shot' with a powerful long drive averaging 260 yards, coming from her tall height of 172cm. Last year on the Dream Tour, she showed consistency by entering the 'Top 10' five times, including two runner-up finishes. She ranked 4th in Dream Tour green hit rate (82.12%) and 5th in average score (70.59 strokes). In August last year, she showed potential by finishing 6th as a recommended player at the Samdasoo Masters.

In December last year, Kang Ji-seon tied for 40th place at the Hyosung Championship held in Vietnam. She maintained a top 10 position for two days but slipped in the final round. At 24 years old, she is relatively late compared to players who usually debut at 19 or 20. She bit her lip and said, "I will work even harder." Since the 12th of last month, she has been training at Terrago Golf Club in Palm Springs, California, USA. It is an intense eight-week training camp.

She is sweating a lot from early morning. She is combining physical training to increase her driving distance by about 10 yards. Last year, her putting per round was 30.88 (41st), which was a weakness. That is why she is focusing on short game and putting training. Kang Ji-seon said, "Even if it is hard, I cannot stop," and ignited her fighting spirit, saying, "This year, I want to be rewarded with results for my efforts so far." She has a grand ambition to gain professional experience in Korea and then advance to the US again.

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