BO BAE SONG

The Facts

Capsule Bio

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 will continue to play in Japan for the foreseeable future.

Galleries