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 continued to play the JLPGA tour in 2008. She
got her season off to a great start, winning the opening event,
the Daikin Orchid, by four shots. It was her first JLPGA win after
a number of close calls in 2007. She continued to be a strong presence
on tour leaderboards the rest of the season.
In November, Song played in the Mizuno Classic,
the LPGA event in Japan, and notched her first ever top ten at an
LPGA event, a tie for 7th.
Due to the fact she had not played enough events
in previous season, 2009 was technically Bo Bae's rookie year on
the JLPGA. By the end of the year, she had claimed that tour's Rookie
of the Year award. She had 7 top tens and finished 7th on the money
list, but it was her two wins that really made her stand out. Her
first victory of the season came at the JLPGA's biggest event, the
Japan Women's Open. She followed this Major win with a brilliant
win at the LPGA's Mizuno Classic, beating a field of top LPGA stars
including Lorena Ochoa and Jiyai Shin, the defending champion. This
win gave Song membership on the LPGA tour, but she set a precedent
by turning down that membership to remain on the JLPGA tour. She
is the first player in at least the past ten years to do that.
Was it a good move? Well, that's debatable. Song
had a fairly weak 2010 season in Japan. She only finished 29th on
the money list, with her best result being a third. She failed to
make the top 20 on the money list for the first time in her career.
Bo Bae returned to form in 2011. She was not able
to win on tour, but notched a bunch of top finishes, including a
2nd place at the year's final event and Major, the Ricoh Cup. She
wound up 11th on the year's money list, with over 55 million yen
in earnings. She was back down again in 2012, finishing just 49th
on the JLPGA money list.
Song finished outside the top 50 on the JLPGA money
list in 2013 with no wins. In 2014, she finished 68th on the JLPGA
money list with a bit more than 11 million yen earned. She had two
top tens, her best finish a tie for third.
Song retired after the 2014 season and sometimes
works as a commentator, covering JLPGA golf for Korean television.
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