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Hur turned pro at the end of 2007 and joined
the Futures Tour, where she made an immediate impact. Down
several strokes to American star Vicky Hurst entering the
final round of the third event of the year, Hur rallied to
capture the title in a playoff. Hurst and Hur would go on
to meet several more times in the final round throughout the
season, with Hurst usually coming out on top. Still, by the
end of the year, Hur played well enough to finish 4th on the
money list and secure an exempt card for the 2009 LPGA season.
MJ was having a decent rookie year on the
LPGA, but still hadn't achieved a top ten, when she suddenly
found herself in contention at the Safeway Classic. She played
brilliantly on Sunday, carding a career low 65, but could
not get the final birdie to win the event outright. Fortunately,
she outlasted Suzann Pettersen and Michele Redman in the playoff,
making a clutch birdie putt on the second playoff hole for
her first career win. She would go on to finished 31st on
the money list in 2009, fifth in the Rookie of the Year standings.
Hur also finished 31st on the money list in
2010. Her scoring average was slightly better, and she notched
2 top 10s for the second straight year. But she was not able
to win, unlike in 2009.
2011 was a much worse year for MJ. She still
maintained top status on tour, but finished 74th on the money
list, with only one top ten all year. She continued to struggle
in 2012. She had two top tens, including a 3rd at the Navistar,
but still earned only $202K, good for just 59th on the money
list.
MJ had a mostly down year in 2013. She did
have one top ten in Taiwan, and also achieved her best ever
Major finish, a tie for 25th at Sebonack for the US Women's
Open. But she still only finished 75th on the money list,
barely good enough to maintain full status on tour.
2014 started much the same for Hur, but swing
changes she had been practicing really started working in
late summer, and she had a run of great form that led to her
second career win. First she notched a 9th place at the Portland
Classic; she followed that with a fantastic performance at
the year's final Major, the Evian Championship. At that event,
Hur contended all week and finished tied for 3rd, her first
ever top ten in a Major.
Finally, it all came together for her at the
next event, the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic. She shot a 64,
tying her career best score, in round 1. She managed to hang
onto the lead until the final round, where world #1 Stacy
Lewis made a big charge at her. But Hur did not blink, shooting
a 66 to secure her first win in five years, and with her father
carrying her bag! She broke down in justifiable tears. Her
great season (most career top tens, most career money, highest
money list position of 30th) led to a new sponsorship deal
with Hana Bank at the end of the season.
MJ had a disappointing 2015 season. She didn't
have so much as a single top ten, but at least finished 72nd
on the money list to maintain full status for 2016. She roared
back with a vengeance in 2016. Even though she did not win
a tournament, she still had her best year moneywise, with
near $750,000 earned, and had her highest finish to date on
the money list, 21st. She also had 7 top tens, more than twice
the amount she had ever achieved in a season. And her scoring
average was around half a stroke better than her previous
best.
Among Hur's stand out performances in 2016
were a tie for second at the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout,
a solo second at the Reignwood Classic behind In Kyung Kim,
and two more top fives, including one at the Hana Bank in
Korea. She also managed top 20s in three of the year's five
Majors.
MJ had her best season yet in 2017. Although
she did not win, she earned more than a million dollars in
a season for the first time in her career. She did particularly
well at the US Women's Open, where she tied for third. She
also had four other top fives, including a tie for second
in Scotland. MJ also got engaged to be married, perhaps her
biggest highlight of all!
MJ got married early in 2018. She may have
been distracted by marital bliss, because she had a fairly
weak year after her great previous season. Her best finish
was a tied for 21st, and she did not maintain top status for
2019. However, she still finished high enough on the money
list (97th) that she was able to attend most events she wanted
in 2019.
MJ bounced back in a major way in 2019, producing
her best season ever. She made over a million dollars for
just the second time in her career, just a few dollars behind
her best season of 2017. She had 6 top tens, and her scoring
average of 69.81 was not only her career best, it was her
best by more than half a stroke.
She managed her third win five years after
her second, which had come five years after her first. That
win came at the Scottish Open, where she shot a second round
62, tying her career best (she had shot another 62 earlier
in the year at the Kia Classic). Just a few weeks later, however,
she claimed another win, this time at the Indy Women in Tech
Championship. Thus, 2019 was her first ever multi-win season.
MJ played at the OrangeLife Champions Trophy
event on the LPGA team. She teamed with Jeongeun Lee6 to lose
against A Lim Kim and Min Ji Park, and with Jin Young Ko to
lose to Kim and Ji Hyun Kim. She also lost her singles match
against Chae Yoon Park.
In 2020, the whole world was rocked by the
Covid-19 pandemic. The LPGA and KLPGA tours canceled and postponed
many tournaments. Hur played at the Diamond Resorts event
in January, achieving her best finish of the year, a tie for
4th. During the pandemic break, she stayed in Korea, playing
from time to time on the KLPGA.
She returned to the States in late November
and played three more events without much success; her best
finish was a tie for 20th. She earned a hair under $100,000
for the year, finishing at 85th on the money list, but the
LPGA decided that all tour statuses would carry over into
2021, so she did not lose her card.
MJ played two events on the KLPGA, her best
finish a tie for 6th at the year's final Major, the KB Star.
She also participated in the annual KLPGA-LPGA team event,
the OrangeLife Champions. She teamed with Ha Neul Kim to tie
Ji Hyun Oh and Ye Rim Choi. The second day was canceled due
to weather. In singles, she was manhandled by KLPGA Rookie
of the Year Hae Ran Ryu 4 & 3. The KLPGA won the event,
10.5 - 7.5.
MJ struggled a bit on the LPGA in 2021. Her
only top ten came at the team event, where she paired with
Jeongeun Lee6. A tie for 12th was her best solo result. She
made a little over $146,000 for the year and finished 93rd
on the money list. Fortunately she maintained category 4 status
for 2022 owing to her recent wins.
MJ took the entire 2022 and 2023 seasons off
when she became pregnant and had her first child in the Spring
of 2022. She officially has category 3 status for the LPGA
for 2024, although it is not yet known when and if she will
return.
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