DANIELLE KANG

The Facts

Capsule Bio

Danielle Kang was born in San Francisco, CA. She has trained in taekwondo since she was a child and earned a second degree black belt when she was only 7 years old. She took up golf as a youngster, and by the time she was in her mid teens, began to make noise in that sport as well. She first qualified for the US Women's Open as a 14 year old in 2007 and was a standout junior golfer for several years, earning All American honorable mention status on the AJGA in 2008 and 2009. Among her notable early accomplishments wasa tie for 9th at the 2009 Callaway Junior World Championship.

Danielle took a quantum leap in her amateur standing in 2010. She enrolled in Pepperdine University in January after graduating from high school early. She made several lists naming her one of the top college players in the country. That year she also qualified for the US Women's Open and was one of only six amateurs to make the cut.

Later that summer, Danielle played in the 2010 US Women's Amateur, where she made it all the way to the final match, then stunned the favorite Jessica Korda to win the Cox Trophy. She later joined Korda to represent the US at the Women's World Amateur Championship, where they finished second to South Korea.

Thanks to her status as Women's Amateur champ, Kang got a chance to play in all four LPGA Majors in 2011. She made the cut in three of them, and was the low amateur at the Women's British Open when she finished tied for 49th. A few weeks later, she returned to defend her title at the 2011 Women's Amateur. She relentlessly worked her way through the field, only running into serious competition in the semifinal match, which she won 1 up on the final hole. In the final, she demolished promising Thai junior Moriya Jutanugarn to repeat as champion, the first woman to win back to back Women's Amateur titles in 15 years.

She turned pro immediately after that and played in her first event as a pro, the WalMart NW Arkansas Championship, where she missed the cut. In the Fall, she played at Q-School, but struggled, barely gaining the lowest tour status for 2012.

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