Inbee Park

On Sunday, South Korea’s Inbee Park won the Thailand LPGA tournament, beating local favourite Ariya Jutanugarn by a single stroke. This week’s player profile brings fans up to date with some of Park’s latest career achievements as she continues her successful career in women’s golf.

Park was born in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. Her career began in earnest when she moved to the United States to complete her schooling. The Korean teen competed on the US amateur circuit, winning nine American Junior Golf Association Events. At the age of 18, she won the U.S. Girls’ Junior and the following year she was a semi-finalist at the 2003 US Women’s Open.

Following her graduation from high school in 2006, Park set her sights on a career in professional golf. As a 17-year-old Park was too young to enter the LPGA’s Qualifying School, which requires that players be 18 or older to be considered. Not one to be held back, Park weathered this disappointment and began playing on the second-tier Duramed Futures Tour where she finished third on the money list in her debut year. This remarkable performance earned Park an exemption on the LPGA Tour in the 2007 season.

Now in her seventh season on the LPGA Tour, Park has become a household name in international golf. Currently ranked world number four, she has won four LPGA events – including one major. Park has also enjoyed a successful career on the Japan LPGA Tour, where she was victorious four times since 2010.

In 2008, Park marked her second season on the LPGA Tour by winning the U.S. Women’s Open, her first major victory and LPGA victory. In 2012, she beat Karrie Webb and Stacey Lewis to win the Evian Masters, and was victorious again during the same season when she won LPGA Malaysia tournament, beating compatriot Na Yeon Choi.

On Sunday, Park beat Thai teen sensation Ariya Jutanugarn on home soil to win her second LPGA Malaysia event. As her career continues to flourish, Park is set to become one of the best known players on the LPGA today.

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