Page 35 - Golf Champion - July 2020

enough to train there?" "How hard will life in Seoul After that, I began to make good results. In my second
be?" and "Will I not get homesick?" I was worried. year of KLPGA, I won four times and won the money
title. That summer, I also competed in the US Women's
I was afraid but I decided to move. And that was my Open at Trump National in Bedminster, New Jersey.
turning point. I realized that I can live alone, that I It was my first major and also my first game against
can be trained enough to get away from my parents other players in the United States.
and build friendships with my new friends, study and
train, and my golf skills have improved much more I made it different from others, decided to keep the
than before. "6" that I thought was a lucky number, and everyone
wondered about the number after my name. Although
In Suncheon, I competed in small junior and amateur I couldn't speak English at all, I did my best to answer
competitions in the region, but never won. While in all the questions.
the academy, I won a national competition featuring
the best amateurs. And at that moment, I felt I could I finished fifth at the U.S. Women's Open that year, and
compete with good players. played in the last group on Saturday. Then I realized
that I could compete with the best players in the world.
As I originally planned, it was likely that by the age of
19, I would have become a teaching pro near my home, In 2018, I repeated two KLPGA titles and the money
where it was comfortable and familiar. As a result title. And faced another decision in my life. While
of my choice, I became the sixth KLPGA tour player staying in Korea, I was able to win the KLPGA com-
named Lee Jung-eun. That's where the number six at petition, play with familiar people, cultures and lan-
the end of my name comes from. I was just a number. guages, and live comfortably with my family in a place

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