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As an amateur, Mi Jung Hur competed mostly
in South Korea, but occasionally came to the States to play
in an important event. She did that at the 2006 US Women's
Amateur, where she qualified for match play and made it through
several rounds before being eliminated.
She was given a sponsor's exemption to the
2006 Kolon-Hana Bank Championship and made the most of it.
She was legitimately in contention for two rounds and wound
up finishing tied for sixth.
Hur won individual honors at the 2006 Queen
Sirikit Cup, a team event where 13 Pacific Rim countries send
teams to compete. She played in the 2007 US Women's Amateur,
but lost in the second round to fellow Korean teen Ha Na Jang.
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.
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