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Danielle Kang

Danielle Grace Kang (born October 20, 1992) is an American professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour. As an amateur, she won the U.S. Women's Amateur twice, in 2010 and 2011. She won the 2017 KPMG Women's PGA Championship, an LPGA major.

Danielle Kang
Kang at the 2013 Women's British Open
Personal information
Full nameDanielle Grace Kang[1]
Born (1992-10-20) October 20, 1992 (age 32)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceLas Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Career
CollegePepperdine University
(two years)
Turned professional2011
Current tour(s)LPGA Tour (joined 2012)
Professional wins6
Number of wins by tour
LPGA Tour6
Best results in LPGA major championships
(wins: 1)
Chevron ChampionshipT6: 2019
Women's PGA C'shipWon: 2017
U.S. Women's Open4th: 2018
Women's British OpenT32: 2020
Evian ChampionshipT18: 2017
Achievements and awards
LPGA Vare Trophy2020

Early life, college and amateur career

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Kang was born on October 20, 1992, in San Francisco. She grew up in Southern California, and qualified for the U.S. Women's Open as a 14-year-old in 2007. She began high school at Oak Park High School and later transferred to Westlake High School early to begin college at Pepperdine University in Malibu in the spring of 2010. Kang played extensively as a junior golfer with the Southern California PGA Junior Tour alongside fellow SCPGA alumni such as Lizette Salas and Brianna Do.

Kang played on the Pepperdine golf team through the regular season in the spring of 2011. She was ruled academically ineligible to compete in the 2011 NCAA post-season and stated that she was not disappointed because "Pepperdine is in the past for me. I'm focusing on the future. Turning pro after the U.S. Women's Amateur."[2][3]

Kang won the U.S. Women's Amateur in 2010 and competed in all four majors as an amateur in 2011. She made the cut in three of the majors, including the LPGA Championship, where she was the only non-professional in the field.[4] Kang was the low amateur at the Women's British Open, finishing in a tie for 49th place. She repeated her win at the U.S. Women's Amateur in 2011 in August to become the first player in 15 years to win consecutive titles.[5]

Professional career

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Kang played her first tournament as a professional at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, in September 2011. She entered on a sponsor's exemption and missed the cut.[6] Kang entered the 2011 LPGA Qualifying School. She survived Stage II, shooting +5 (73-74-71-75=293), just inside the cut line to qualify for the final stage.[7] She finished the final stage, Stage III, of Q-School tied for 39th. This gave her conditional status (Priority List Category 20) on the LPGA Tour for 2012[8]

Kang played 19 events on the LPGA Tour in 2012, making 13 cuts and finishing the season with $239,184 in earnings, putting her 52nd on the official LPGA season-ending money list. This qualified her for full status on the LPGA Tour in 2013.

Kang earned her first LPGA Tour win, 2017 KPMG Women's PGA Championship, in her 144th LPGA Tour start. On October 21, 2018, Kang won the inaugural Buick LPGA Shanghai tournament by two strokes to earn her second career victory. The tournament was held at Qizhong Garden Golf Club in Shanghai, China.[9] In October 2019, Kang repeated as champion of the Buick LPGA Shanghai.

On August 2, 2020, Kang won the LPGA Drive On Championship at Inverness Club in Ohio. This was the LPGA's first tournament back after a six-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10] One week later, Kang won her 5th LPGA Tour event at the Marathon Classic.

Kang won the 2020 Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average on the LPGA Tour.[11]

On January 23, 2022, Kang won the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida.[12]

Kang narrowly missed a rare back-to-back wins starting a new LPGA season, when her longtime friend Lydia Ko beat her by one stroke in the January 27–30 Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio tournament. They were tied at 12-under after the 14th hole in the fourth round, when Ko made a birdie at the 15th to take the lead, and both birdied the 16th; then both parred the final two holes.[13] She earned $184,255 to Ko's $300,000.

Kang stopped playing on the tour after announcing at the end of the 2022 U.S. Women's Open on June 5, she had a tumor on her spine. She returned to competition at the CP Women's Open on August 25, after treatment.[14]

Personal life

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Kang is a Korean-American born to South Korean parents K.S. Kang and Grace Lee. Her brother Alex played golf for San Diego State.[15] In 2018, she began a relationship with professional golfer Maverick McNealy, who also lives in Las Vegas, but this relationship ended in 2021.[16][17]

Professional wins (6)

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LPGA Tour wins (6)

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Legend
LPGA Tour major championships (1)
Other LPGA Tour (5)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 Jul 2, 2017 KPMG Women's PGA Championship −13 (69-66-68-68=271) 1 stroke Canada  Brooke Henderson
2 Oct 21, 2018 Buick LPGA Shanghai −13 (67-68-71-69=275) 2 strokes United States  Marina Alex, United States  Brittany Altomare
Thailand  Ariya Jutanugarn, South Korea  Kim Sei-young
New Zealand  Lydia Ko, China  Liu Wenbo
United States  Annie Park
3 Oct 20, 2019 Buick LPGA Shanghai (2) −16 (69-67-66-70=272) 1 stroke United States  Jessica Korda
4 Aug 2, 2020 LPGA Drive On Championship −7 (66-73-70=209) 1 stroke France  Céline Boutier
5 Aug 9, 2020 Marathon Classic −15 (64-67-70-68=269) 1 stroke England  Jodi Ewart Shadoff, New Zealand  Lydia Ko
6 Jan 23, 2022 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions −16 (68-67-69-68=272) 3 strokes Canada  Brooke Henderson

LPGA Tour playoff record (0–3)

No. Year Tournament Opponents Result
1 2019 BMW Ladies Championship South Korea  Jang Ha-na Lost to birdie on third extra hole
2 2021 Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions United States  Jessica Korda Lost to birdie on first extra hole
3 2022 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Thailand  Atthaya Thitikul Lost to birdie on second extra hole

Major championships

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Wins (1)

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Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner-up
2017 Women's PGA Championship Tied for lead −13 (69-66-68-68=271) 1 stroke Canada  Brooke Henderson

Results timeline

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Results not in chronological order.

! Tournament 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Chevron Championship CUT CUT T61 T26 T26 T47 CUT T6 T11
Women's PGA Championship T50 CUT T22 T25 CUT T46 1 T33 T5 T33
U.S. Women's Open CUT 64 T68 T14 CUT T59 T47 T17 CUT 4 CUT T52
The Evian Championship ^ T31 CUT T59 T30 T18 CUT CUT NT
Women's British Open T49 CUT T42 CUT T56 CUT CUT CUT T41 T32
! Tournament 2021 2022 2023 2024
Chevron Championship 13 T17 T28 CUT
U.S. Women's Open T35 T63 CUT T51
Women's PGA Championship T5 T39 CUT
The Evian Championship CUT
Women's British Open CUT T69

^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013.

  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
NT = no tournament
T = tied

Summary

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Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Chevron Championship 0 0 0 0 1 4 13 9
U.S. Women's Open 0 0 0 1 1 3 16 11
Women's PGA Championship 1 0 0 3 3 5 13 10
The Evian Championship 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 4
Women's British Open 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 6
Totals 1 0 0 4 5 13 62 40
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (2020 ANA – 2021 WPGA)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (five times)

LPGA Tour career summary

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Year Tournaments
played		 Cuts
made*		 Wins 2nd 3rd Top 10s Best
finish		 Earnings
($)		 Money
list rank		 Scoring
average		 Scoring
rank
2007 1 0 0 0 0 0 MC n/a n/a n/a n/a
2011 5 3 0 0 0 0 T49 0 n/a n/a n/a
2012 19 13 0 0 1 1 T3 239,184 52 72.39 50
2013 24 17 0 0 0 1 T5 221,649 57 72.18 54
2014 27 21 0 0 0 2 T5 316,239 51 72.46 82
2015 26 23 0 0 0 1 T5 292,579 62 71.72 44
2016 27 23 0 0 0 3 T4 505,316 36 71.12 31
2017 25 16 1 1 0 6 1 1,005,983 17 71.05 42
2018 25 15 1 1 1 8 1 1,135,441 11 70.85 27
2019 21 17 1 3 1 11 1 1,511,443 9 70.07 13
2020 13 13 2 1 1 5 1 897,872 4 70.08 4
2021 21 19 0 1 0 9 2 902,244 18 69.83 10
2022 18 16 1 2 1 7 1 1,039,239 25 69.72 9
2023 20 16 0 0 1 3 T3 459,154 61 71.47 73
Totals^ 272 212 6 9 6 57 1 8,526,343 36

* Includes matchplay and other events without a cut.

World ranking

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Position in Women's World Golf Rankings at the end of each calendar year.

Year Ranking Source
2010 404 [21]
2011 341 [22]
2012 106 [23]
2013 97 [24]
2014 111 [25]
2015 98 [26]
2016 68 [27]
2017 21 [28]
2018 18 [29]
2019 4 [30]
2020 5 [31]
2021 11 [32]
2022 16 [33]
2023 48 [34]

U.S. national team appearances

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Amateur

Professional

Solheim Cup record

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Year Total
matches		 Total
W–L–H		 Singles
W–L–H		 Foursomes
W–L–H		 Fourballs
W–L–H		 Points
won		 Points
%
Career 16 7–9–0 2–2–0 3–4–0 2–3–0 7 43.8
2017 4 3–1–0 1–0–0 def. E. Pedersen 3&1 1–1–0 won w/ L. Salas 1 up,
lost w/ M. Wie 2&1 		1–0–0 won w/ M. Wie 3&1 3 75.0
2019 4 1–3–0 0–1–0 lost to C. Ciganda 1 up 0–1–0 lost w/ M. Khang 4&3 1–1–0 lost w/ L. Salas 4&2,
won w/ L. Salas 2&1 		1 25.0
2021 4 1–3–0 0–1–0 lost to E. Pedersen 1 dn 1–1–0 lost w/ A. Ernst 1 dn
won w/ A. Ernst 1 up 		0–1–0 lost w/ A. Ernst 3&2 1 25.0
2023 4 2-2-0 1-0-0 def. C. Hull 4&2 1-1-0 won w/ A. Lee 1 up
lost w/ A. Lee 1 dn 		0-1-0 lost w/ L. Vu 2&1 2 50.0

References

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  1. ^ California Birth Index
  2. ^ Miller, Eli (May 2011). "Report: Kang will turn professional after 2011 U.S. Women's Amateur". Southland Golf Magazine. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  3. ^ "5 things: Grades to keep Kang from postseason". Golfweek. May 4, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  4. ^ "2011 Wegmans LPGA Championship" (PDF). LPGA. Retrieved June 5, 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ "Danielle Kang Defends Women's Amateur Title". USGA. August 14, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  6. ^ "Yani Tseng putting together a special year". ESPN. September 12, 2011. Archived from the original on September 22, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
  7. ^ "LPGA Qualifying Tournament Stage II Final Round Results". LPGA. September 30, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
  8. ^ "LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament: Final Results". LPGA. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  9. ^ Levins, Keely (October 21, 2018). "Danielle Kang wins Buick LPGA Shanghai by two, her second career victory". Golf Digest. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  10. ^ "Danielle Kang closes with 70 to win LPGA's return". ESPN. Associated Press. August 2, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  11. ^ "Danielle Kang Wins the 2020 Vare Trophy". LPGA. December 20, 2020.
  12. ^ "Winless in '21, Kang starts new LPGA year with win". TSN.ca. Associated Press. January 23, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  13. ^ "Lydia Ko outduels Danielle Kang for Gainbridge LPGA title". Golf Channel. Associated Press. January 30, 2022.
  14. ^ "Danielle Kang Announces Return". LPGA. August 9, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  15. ^ "Golf: Alex Kang". San Diego State athletics. Archived from the original on January 4, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  16. ^ "Golf's newest power couple: LPGA's Kang, Web.com Tour's McNealy". Golf Channel. January 19, 2019.
  17. ^ Dabbs, Ryan (August 13, 2021). "Who Is Danielle Kang's Boyfriend?". Golf Monthly. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  18. ^ "Danielle Kang stats". LPGA. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  19. ^ "Danielle Kang results". LPGA. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  20. ^ "Career Money". LPGA. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  21. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". December 28, 2010.
  22. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". December 27, 2011.
  23. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". December 31, 2012.
  24. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". December 30, 2013.
  25. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". December 29, 2014.
  26. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". December 28, 2015.
  27. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". December 26, 2016.
  28. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". December 25, 2017.
  29. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". December 31, 2018.
  30. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". December 30, 2019.
  31. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". December 28, 2020.
  32. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". December 27, 2021.
  33. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". December 26, 2022.
  34. ^ "Women's World Golf Rankings". December 25, 2023.
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