DALY CITY, Calif. - Ha Na Jang’s not been particularly pleased with her recent form - a tie for 41st at the ANA Inspiration and a tie for 46th at the Lotte Championship – but as a whole, her rookie year has been about as smooth of sailing as one could hope for as a rookie with three top-10s in her first seven starts as a member. She’s currently 4th in Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year points, 12th in the Race to the CME Globe, 13th in scoring average (70.82), and 14th on the money list.
“I think really worst scores are the last week, Hawaii, and then the other tournament,” Jang said. “But no miss cuts, but scores really bad. So I am practice, practice, focus my iron. So really good this week. I’m changing irons right now, so really good.”
The practice showed on Thursday as Jang fired a first-round 4-under-par 68 at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic that was more reminiscent of the form she showed early in the season when she finished in the top-10 in three of her first five starts.
“It’s pretty good. Better than last week,” Jang said with a laugh.
It’s Jang’s jovial nature that stands out about her even more than her game so far. Everything Jang does, she does with a smile. Although she hasn’t had an English tutor with her, she’s learned the language through Disney movies and YouTube videos. Her caddie, Dave Stone, teaches her English phrases and she teaches him Korean. Four months in, Stone jokes that her English is even better than his now.
“I think it’s really, really everything I enjoy,” Jang said. “New world, new tournament, new golf course. Everything is new.”
“She’s funny as hell,” LPGA veteran Christina Kim said, who has gotten to know her through the Rookie Pod System. “She’s fearless, not just with the way she plays golf but with the way she takes on and tackles life. She’ll go out and do things that are potentially scary. When you go to a new country you don’t speak the language, but she’ll go out around town and immerse herself in the culture, which is something that I really admire.”
On the course, Kim said Jang’s demeanor remains her of Lydia Ko’s the way she never shows whether she’s five over or five under. And although many players on Tour would kill for the form Jang’s shown thus far, she knows it’ll take more to accomplish her ultimate goal – to represent Korea in the 2016 Olympics.
With a Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking of 21, Jang would be a shoe in in every country except Korea and the United States. But Jang’s from a country that’s currently has eight players in the top 20. And although Korea was comfortable and she was a star on the KLPGA, Jang knew to achieve her goal she’d need to come compete against the world’s best on a weekly basis to have a chance of climbing into the Korean contingent for the Summer Games in Rio.
“It’s my big target,” Jang said. “I think in Korea every player is thinking about the Olympics.”
It’s also Sei Young Kim, Hyo Joo Kim, and Q Baek’s target – three other rookies on the LPGA Tour that all rank in the top 20 in the world. Sei Young and Hyo Joo have already won this year on the LPGA Tour, and Sei Young currently leads the Rolex Player of the Year and Rolex Rookie of the Year standings after her second victory last week in Hawaii. But she made it clear in her Wednesday press conference that she could care less about those standings.
“You know, I really haven’t thought much about both categories,” Sei Young said through an interpreter. “My main objective in coming to the LPGA in the States is to be top in the world rankings. That would get me into playing in the Olympics in 2016.”
Jang’s known Sei Young for years, and the two were rivals on the course in Korea but the best of friends off of it. That’s why Jang knows she’s got her work cut out for her and needs to return to the form she showed by finishing in the top 10 in three of her first five LPGA starts. Although every win by her friends puts her further from her dream, she was still thrilled last Sunday watching as Sei Young issued the most thrilling finish golf’s seen to date in 2015, chipping in for par at the last and holing her eagle from the fairway at the first playoff hole.
“Last week was really awesome. I’m watching TV, so first 18, No. 18, Oh my god!” Jang said. “Really nice chipping. And then really nice eagle, right? Sei Young and I practice round together Monday and I said ‘You really that shot, that playoff?’”
If Jang keeps up this form, she could have her own seminal moment on Sunday.
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