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Helen Oh is a Korean golfer who moved to Australia
when she was a teenager to hone her game there. Like Amy Yang,
Sarah Oh, Gloria Park and others who did the same thing, Oh
became one of the top amateur golfers in the country as a
result. She represented her state of New South Wales in several
important events over the next few years. She also represented
Australia in international events like the Commonwealth Cup
in South Africa. Her biggest result, without question, was
winning the 2006 Australian Women's Amateur championship,
which she wrapped up on her 18th birthday.
In late 2007, Helen turned pro. She first
tried to qualify for the LPGA, but was unable to get to the
Q-School finals. Next, she joined the Australian Ladies Pro
Golf tour, a minor league tour that competes down under in
the November - January time frame. It didn't take her long
to make her mark: in early December, she won her first pro
title, the St. Michaels Golf Club ALPG Classic. She shot a
course record 7 under par 67 in the final round, needing just
22 putts in that round to beat the rest of the field by four
shots.
In March, 2008, doctors discovered a lump
on her right buttock. By August, they had determined that
it was a malignant form of cancer, and Oh was forced to suspend
her golf career and undergo rigorous chemotherapy to battle
the disease. The treatment was so severe that Oh lost 22 pounds,
and she was so nauseous that she couldn't sleep. After that
came radiation therapy that made her feel even worse. All
her hair fell out. The doctors then removed the tumor in an
operation they deemed successful.
Oh began working on her game again several
months later, but she was nowhere near the player she once
was. She could barely hit the ball in the air, and even walking
was painful. Late in the year, however, she returned to action
at the 2009 Futures Tour Q-School, but shot three rounds in
the 80s and did not get a card.
She worked hard on recovering. But in two
rounds of qualifying for the Futures Tour in late 2010, she
was 35 over par. She realized that she would not be able to
return to golf. So, she has retired, and has begun studying
law instead.
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