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Bo Bae Song is the latest in a long line of
teenage superstars in Korean golf, stretching back at least
since Se Ri Pak. Like Se Ri, Bo Bae made her first splash
in one of the biggest tournaments in Korea, the Korean Women's
Open, when she won it in 2003 as a 17 year old high schooler.
She duplicated the feat in 2004 as a rookie on the KLPGA tour.
In fact, her rookie year in 2004 was sensational.
She led the league in wins with two, made the most money of
anyone on tour, and won Player of the Year. Not bad for an
18 year old! She also finished second to Joo Mi Kim in scoring
average with 71.17.
As impressive as her 2004 exploits were, it
looks like 2005 could be an even better year for her. She
started it with a bang. Playing in the Samsung Ladies Masters
in Singapore, an event jointly sponsored by the KLPGA and
the Ladies European Tour, she stunned everyone by not only
winning, but by leading wire to wire. She beat several European
superstars, including Laura Davies, in the process. With that
win, she became only the second Korean to ever win an LET
event (Se Ri Pak won the 2001 Women's British Open), and in
so doing earned a three year exemption on that tour.
The next week, she joined Jeong Jang in representing
Korea at the Women's World Cup. They did marvelously, finishing
tied for second, but were in the match until nearly the last
hole, when Japan made two birdies on 17 to pull away for the
win.
BB finished 2005 by repeating as KLPGA Player
of the Year and winning the Low Scoring Average title as well
(she finished second to Kyeong Bae on the money list).
BB started 2006 at the ANZ Ladies Masters
in Australia and also represented South Korea at the Women's
World Cup along with Meena Lee. But after playing the SBS
Open on the LPGA tour, she suffered an injury that kept her
out for several weeks. It took her a few KLPGA events before
she got her game back, but in late May she won the Lakeside
Ladies Open to announce to the tour that she was back and
ready to challenge for the top spot there for a third straight
year.
Alas, she continued to struggle with injuries
much of the year. In the end she only finished 8th on the
year end money list, her worst result to date as a pro.
In 2007, Bo Bae joined the JLPGA, the Japanese
ladies professional tour. She did quite well there, finishing
16th on the money list as a rookie. This qualified her to
play on the Korean squad for the Kyoraku Cup, the annual team
event that pits top Korean and Japanese women golf pros against
each other. She did not do well, however, losing both of her
matches. In fact, her first loss was one of the most lopsided
in the history of the event, as her opponent beat her 64-82.
BB continued to play the JLPGA tour in 2008.
She got her season off to a great start, winning the opening
event, the Daikin Orchid, by four shots. It was her first
JLPGA win after a number of close calls in 2007. She continued
to be a strong presence on tour leaderboards the rest of the
season.
In November, Song played in the Mizuno Classic,
the LPGA event in Japan, and notched her first ever top ten
at an LPGA event, a tie for 7th.
Due to the fact she had not played enough
events in previous season, 2009 was technically Bo Bae's rookie
year on the JLPGA. By the end of the year, she had claimed
that tour's Rookie of the Year award. She had 7 top tens and
finished 7th on the money list, but it was her two wins that
really made her stand out. Her first victory of the season
came at the JLPGA's biggest event, the Japan Women's Open.
She followed this Major win with a brilliant win at the LPGA's
Mizuno Classic, beating a field of top LPGA stars including
Lorena Ochoa and Jiyai Shin, the defending champion. This
win gave Song membership on the LPGA tour, but she set a precedent
by turning down that membership to remain on the JLPGA tour.
She is the first player in at least the past ten years to
do that.
Was it a good move? Well, that's debatable.
Song had a fairly weak 2010 season in Japan. She only finished
29th on the money list, with her best result being a third.
She failed to make the top 20 on the money list for the first
time in her career.
Bo Bae returned to form in 2011. She was not
able to win on tour, but notched a bunch of top finishes,
including a 2nd place at the year's final event and Major,
the Ricoh Cup. She wound up 11th on the year's money list,
with over 55 million yen in earnings.
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