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Aree and Naree Song (born Wongluekiet) are
identical twins born in Thailand; Naree is nine minutes older
than Aree. Their father is Korean and their mother is Thai.
They expressed an interest in playing for Korea when they
turned pro, and indeed, Aree has done so; hence, they are
included on the Seoul Sisters site.
As it turns out, they are both also incredible
golfers (as is their older brother Chan), and have been dominating
the junior ranks and, lately, the amateur ranks the last few
years. The family moved to the US when the twins were still
young, in order for them to hone their games at the Leadbetter
Academy. Well, it didn't take too long before they started
making some serious noise.
Aree became, in 1999, the youngest girl to
ever win the National Girls Championship (13 years, 3 months
old), a record she still holds. Then she astounded everyone
by playing well enough to get into the final group on Sunday
at the Nabisco Championship (Naree missed the cut). Though
she had problems that day, she still finished tenth, ahead
of such luminaries as Seoul Sister Se Ri. At the Safeway later
that year, Aree played well enough to be in a five way tie
for the lead going into the final day. She struggled on Sunday,
but still finished 13th, a very impressive result.
After 2000, the twins focused on women's amateur
events over AJGA events. They won a plethora of titles; at
the start of 2003, in fact, they pulled off an amazing feat:
Aree won and Naree finished second at back to back events.
They pledged to attend Florida State in the Fall, which automatically
made that school one to watch in the coming season.
But later that summer, Aree had a magnificent
performance at the US Women's Open, finishing fifth. She was
only two shots out of the playoff that ended up crowning the
champion, and for a while, it looked like she might be in
it herself. This performance convinced her to turn pro rather
than go to college, and for the first time, the Wonder Twins
were pursuing different paths.
She attended LPGA Q-School in the Fall and
easily made her tour card, finishing in a tie for 4th. However,
she would not be 18, the minimum age to play on the LPGA tour,
until May, and needed special permission from the LPGA Commissioner
to play. Due to her fabulous talent and poise, she was granted
that permission, and was the youngest player on tour in 2004.
Aree had a fantastic Rookie year, and she
peaked early. At the 2004 Nabisco Championship in March, still
only 17 years old, she went into the final round tied for
the lead with Grace Park. Going into the final hole, she was
two shots behind Grace, but played the most fantastic hole
of the entire LPGA season by any player, hitting the island
green in 2 and draining the eagle putt to force Grace to make
a birdie to beat her. Grace did make the birdie, but few will
forget Aree's heroics.
Aree played well the rest of the season, but
Shi Hyun Ahn beat her for Rookie of the Year. Aree finished
28th on the money list, however, an excellent result.
2005 was more of a struggle for Aree. She
did manage 2 top ten finishes, but nothing higher than a 9th
place finish. She ended up 59th on the money list, a big step
down from her rookie performance. Still, it was not a terrible
year, and she easily maintained her tour card.
Aree continued to struggle with her game in
2006. Although she did manage a third place finish at the
Safeway International, and another at the Mizuno Classic,
those were her only top tens of the year, and she only finished
47th on the money list.
2007 was a weak year for Aree. She only managed
one top ten, at the SemGroup, and barely maintained her exempt
card, finishing 88th on the money list. She was sidelined
much of 2008 with a mysterious illness that prevented her
from playing at all until October.
In 2009, Aree missed the cut almost every
time she teed it up, and did not play at all after early July.
Apparently, her health is still an issue, but if she can recover,
she will have full status in 2010.
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