Lee Jeong-eun had a “6” added to her surname on the Korean LPGA tour to differentiate her from the five others that joined the circuit before her.
After Sunday’s victory at the US Women’s Open in Charleston, “Lee6” has certainly made a name for herself.
“I’m the sixth Lee Jeong-eun player and that’s why they put it down as Lee6 Jeong-eun, but this is my lucky number too, so I would love to put it down as Lee6 as my last name,” the 23-year-old South Korean said via an interpreter after winning the most prestigious title in women’s golf in South Carolina.
Photo: AFP
Lee, dubbed “Hot Six” by her legion of fans back home, is among a generation of South Korean golfers inspired by trailblazer Pak Se-ri’s win at the 1998 US Women’s Open.
The ninth South Korean to win the championship, South Koreans have won it 10 times in all, with Park In-bee claiming the championship twice.
Lee turned professional in 2016 and quickly handled the pressure of providing for her family, claiming Rookie of the Year honors on the Korean LPGA, even as she started to sour on the vibe of the tour.
“Looking at my family situation back then, I thought about wanting to play golf because I wanted to support my family no matter what,” she said.
Switching to the US-based LPGA Tour this year after winning the qualifying school at the end of last year, Lee found her feet quickly and arrived at the Women’s Open ranked 14th in the world.
“When I was in KLPGA, I actually wanted to stop playing because I wasn’t really enjoying too much about it,” she said. “A lot of players are very competitive, severely competitive, so I didn’t really enjoy it that much, but when I came to the LPGA Tour, I started wanting to play more for a long time. I have a good time playing with a lot of LPGA players.”
Lee has no big plans to spend her US$1 million after collecting the first seven-figure prize in women’s golf.
“I can eat ramen,” she said to laughter. “That was my goal. If I finish the top five, I can buy shoes, but I can buy shoes and eat ramen. So it’s a double.”
Hsu Wei-ling finished on five-over tied for 39th place, while fellow Taiwanese Chien Pei-yun was a shot further tied for 50th spot.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
Francesco Bagnaia yesterday profited from a mistake by rookie Pedro Acosta to win the Japan MotoGP sprint and close the gap on overall championship leader, Jorge Martin. Spaniard Acosta crashed with four laps to go while leading the field at Motegi, allowing defending world champion Bagnaia to take first ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez. Spain’s Martin finished fourth and saw his overall lead over Italian Bagnaia in the championship standings cut to 15 points. “I am very happy because with these conditions, it’s not very easy to win and gain points,” Bagnaia said after a sprint race that took place under
RSS