Shi Hyun Ahn turned pro in 2002 and played mostly
on the 'Dream Tour', the Korean equivalent of the Futures Tour.
She ended up leading that tour at the end of the year, so in 2003
she qualified to play on the KLPGA tour full time.
She was in fourth place on the KLPGA money list
and thus was invited to play the CJ 9 Bridges Classic, an LPGA event
that takes place in Korea. She shocked almost everyone by not only
winning that event, but by leading it from start to finish and beating
Se Ri Pak when the two were paired together in the final group.
Her win there was the first on the LPGA tour by a non-LPGA player
in 8 years. She was also the second youngest to win on the tour
in history, at just over 19 years of age.
The win earned her two years of status on the LPGA
tour: non-exempt status in 2004 and exempt status in 2005. It also
earned her a chance to compete in the Tournament of Champions in
2003, where the defending champion was once again Se Ri Pak.
Shi Hyun has become a big celebrity in Korea. Her
fan club exploded from just 50 members before the 9 Bridges to over
6,000 just after it. She is frequently featured in newspaper articles,
where she is invariably called 'Cinderella' Shi Hyun Ahn. Doubtless
her progress over the next two years will be carefully watched there.
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