In November, Haeji played in the Futures Tour Q-School,
where she finished tied for 12th. Thus, she turned professional.
In 2008, she finished tied for 14th at the ANZ Ladies Masters, a
good omen in preparation for her move to the States.
In 2008, she played the Futures Tour, where she
made over $30,000 and finished just outside of the top ten on the
money list. This is important, since a new rule change made it so
the top ten players on tour received cards for the LPGA. She had
six top tens, including her first professional win in Richmond,
Virginia, in August.
In late 2008, Haeji Kang participated in the 2008
LPGA Qualifying School. She finished tied for 29th to earn category
16 status on tour in 2009.
Haeji had an OK rookie season despite her low status
on tour, highlighted by a great performance at the Wegman's, where
she shot her career low round and finished tied for fourth. This
top ten and a few other good weeks were enough to earn Kang a full
exemption for the 2010 season.
In 2010, she made the most money of her career,
finishing 59th on the money list to keep her card. She had one top
ten, at the Sybase Match Play. Her best finish in the 2011 season
was 14th; she finished 77th on the money list that year, keeping
full status for 2012.
Haeji improved enormously in 2012. It was in fact
by far her best season yet. She finished 29th on the money list
with over $400,000 in earnings and four top tens. She had her first
top 20 in a Major at the Nabisco, and her career best finish of
third at the Navistar. Her scoring average was also her best by
a lot. With her 2012 season results, Haeji Kang has put herself
on the radar as an up and comer for the first time.
Her 2013 results were pretty similar to her 2012
results. She still wasn't able to get a win, but did manage three
top tens and more than $400,000 in earnings, good for 37th on the
money list. Her most notable achievement was her tie for 5th at
the Kraft Nabisco Championship, her first ever top five at a Major.
Haeji had two top tens in 2014, both ties for third
place, at the Reignwood LPGA Classic and the ShopRite Classic. She
finished 49th on the money list for the year.
Kang had a markedly worse season in 2015 than in
her previous years. She was not able to make even a single top ten
and only made $44,000 for the year. As a result, she dropped to
category 16 status for 2016. Her 2016 season was about the same,
with her best finish a tie for 20th. She dropped even further to
category 17 status for 2017.
Haeji had a lackluster 2017 season, but managed
one great finish, a tie for 5th at the Indy Women Tech Championship.
As a result, she made about $90,000 in 2017 and finished 89th on
the money list. This moved her up to category 16 for 2018.
Haeji had her best season in a while in 2018. She
made over $258,000 and finished 70th on the money list, which gained
her top status for 2019. She had two great finishes: a tie for 9th
in Arkansas thanks to a final round 63, and a tie for third at the
Scottish Women's Open.
2019 was a less successful year for Haeji. She finished
just 104th on the money list and had no top tens during the year.
She made $116,000 for the year. Her status was reduced to category
14 for the 2020 season.
In 2020, the whole world was rocked by the Covid-19
pandemic. The LPGA and KLPGA tours canceled and postponed many tournaments.
Haeji played 11 events in 2020, missing just two cuts. Her best
result was a tie for 28th at the WalMart Arkansas Championship in
late August. She made about $60,000 all year, 101st in the rankings.
However, the LPGA had decided to let all players keep their cards
through 2021, so she will maintain the same playing status as before.
Haeji had a solid year in 2021. She finished 78th
on the money list, improving to category 11 for 2022. She earned
about $221,000. Her best finish, and only top ten, was a t-6th finish
at the Dow Invitational team event.
Haeji played similarly in 2022. She had just two
top tens; once again, one of them came at the Dow team event. She
made about the same amount of money as the previous year, about
$214,000, but that was only good for 92nd on the money list. This
allowed her to maintain her category 11 status for 2023.
Haeji made $112,000 in 2023, 126th on the money
list. She didn't play an event past July, suggesting she was injured
much of the season. And indeed, because of a medical deferment,
she maintained her category 11 status for 2024.
|