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Jung Yeon Lee started playing golf at the
age of 14. One of the tallest Korean players, she can hit
the ball quite far. When I saw her in 2002, she didn't seem
to have a drive less than 260 yards.
Jung Yeon joined the KLPGA in 1998, and had
one win. In 2001, she played the Futures Tour, where she recorded
nine top tens, had back to back wins, and finished third on
the money list to earn exempt status for the 2002 LPGA season.
In 2002, she had one top ten and finished 76th on the money
list to keep her card.
2003 was a breakout year for Jung Yeon. She
very nearly won the Longs Drugs Challenge (had a birdie putt
on the last hole to go into a playoff, but just missed), and
managed top tens in her final four events of the year (including
another 2nd at a KLPGA event).
The first few months of 2004 were incredible
for Jung Yeon. She started the season out by shooting a 60
at the Welch's/Fry's Championship, the second lowest score
in LPGA history. She finished second there, and again later
finished second at the Chick-Fil-A Championship. She also
notched two top tens in Majors in 2004, her first ever. But
she slowed down for the most part in the middle of the year,
and gradually fell down the money list, eventually finishing
in 34th place. Still, 2004 was easily her best season yet.
The slump that started in 2004 continued through
2005; fortunately, her 2004 money list finish bought her a
two year exemption on tour. In 2006, she still was pretty
much in the dumps most of the time, but had a few tournaments
where she showed her old form. At the Safeway International,
she even led much of the week, only to lose on the final hole
to Juli Inkster. Still, her second place finish was her best
in years.
In 2007, Sarah again returned to the form
that she had displayed during her golden run of 2003-4. The
result was a run of great tournaments, her best Major finishes
in years, and a 20th place finish on the money list, her best
ever.
She played well at several tournaments in
the Spring. At the Michelob Ultra, she even led for several
rounds before fading to third. The highlight of the year for
her came at the Sybase Classic the following week. She and
Lorena Ochoa were playing far better than anyone else in the
field. In the third round, the two were matched against each
other, and Sarah actually outplayed the number one golfer
in the world. It looked as though she might finally get that
elusive first win on tour, but on Sunday, she was not able
to keep it up, and Ochoa took the title. Lee would collect
yet another second place finish.
Late in the year, she played in the Kyoraku
and Lexus Cups. She was the vice-captain of the Lexus Cup,
in fact, and helped to lead Asia to a dominating win over
the International team in that event.
2008 was not a good year for Lee. She didn't
even post a top 20 all year, although she did occasionally
find herself in contention after two rounds. It was later
revealed that she was struggling with serious injuries much
of the season. In 2009, she made only one top ten and finished
79th on the money list. Fortunately for her, this was just
good enough to earn her top status for the 2010 season.
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