Updated: Feb, 2013

JULIE YANG

The Facts

Korean Name: Cha Ryung Yang
Birthday: July 8, 1995
Rookie Year on LPGA: Amateur
Birthplace: Seoul, South Korea
Residence: Mesa, Arizona
Best LPGA Finish:
T-46th (2011 Kia Classic)
Best LPGA Major Finish: CUT (2010 Ricoh Women's British Open)
Height: 5' 7"
2013 LPGA Status: Still a junior
Nicknames: None Known
How's her English?: Fluent; also speaks Korean and Thai
Road to the LPGA: Still a junior

Capsule Bio

Julie Yang took up the game of golf when she was just 6 years old. She lived for a time in Thailand, and speaks fluent Thai. At age 9, she moved to Arizona. She won her first international age group event, the UBC Junior World Golf Tour, in December of 2002 at age 7. Before she turned nine, she would accumulate over 20 such titles.

Yang had the talent to compete and even win AJGA events, but was not allowed to play due to her youth: the AJGA has a minimum age limit of 12 years. Shortly after her 12th birthday in 2007, she played her first AJGA event and finished third. At her second event a few weeks later, she did even better, finishing second. She captured the title at her third event, the Randy Smith Classic in Lubbock, TX, beating two significantly older players in a playoff. In so doing, she became the second youngest girl to ever win an AJGA event, (the youngest girl to ever win one had won before the 12 year age limit had been instituted). Yang was 12 years, 1 month and 8 days old when she won the Smith title. Later in 2007, she won the US Kids World Championship. She was named to the Rolex Junior All American teams in 2007 and 2008; she was the youngest Rolex All American in history.

Even later in the year, Julie was invited to play at a KLPGA event, the Inter-Burgo Masters. She did not make the cut, but it was still a good learning experience for the youthful golfer. In 2009, she played in three KLPGA events, making all three cuts and achieving best amateur status while still just 13 years old.

At age 14, Julie relocated to Europe, where she attended school in Scotland. She continued her winning ways there. Among her triumphs were wins at the Welsh Ladies Open Stroke Play Championship, the Danish International Ladies Amateur Championship, and the English Women's Open Stroke Play Championship. She was the youngest winner in history in all of those events.

Julie moved back to the States in 2011, and looks primed to continue her rise to prominence over here. Although she did not do well at the US Women's Amateur, losing in the second round, she did win the 2011 Women's Trans National Amateur Championship, where once again she was the youngest champion in history.

Early in 2011, Julie played at the Kia Classic on the LPGA tour, where she made the cut and finished tied for 46th.

Julie skipped a school year and graduated from high school in 2012. She joined Oklahoma State in early 2013 and will be playing on their golf team starting in the Spring semester.

Articles
Globetrotting Yang Rolls Early at WAPL

Galleries

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