[2022 Newstart⑩] ‘Dream Tour Prize Money 3rd Place’ Jang Eun-su "Memories of 2017 Rookie of the Year"

A Splendid Return After One Year in Part 2 Tour, Iron Shots and Short Game Training "Expecting a Regret-Free Season"

'2017 Rookie of the Year' Jang Eun-su dreams of a comeback on the KLPGA Tour after one year. Photo by Jang Eun-su Instagram

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] In the Year of the Tiger, there is a golfer dreaming of victory with the tiger's energy.

She is Jang Eun-su (24), the 2017 Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour Rookie of the Year. After losing her tour card due to a terrible slump in 2020, she made a comeback to the first division stage last year through the Dream (2nd division) Tour after enduring hardships. "Losing my tour card was mentally tough," said Jang Eun-su, "I decided to start over on the Dream Tour, but it was not easy. Believing in myself and playing confidently led to good results."

As a former national team member, she joined the regular tour in 2017 after finishing 5th in the Dream Tour money rankings in 2016. Park Min-ji (24, NH Investment & Securities), who dominated the KLPGA Tour last year with six wins, is her classmate. It is interesting that Jang Eun-su was named Rookie of the Year, surpassing Park Min-ji who had one win as a rookie at that time. Although she has no wins, she ranked 23rd in earnings in 2017, 27th in 2018, and 42nd in 2019. Her best results are two runner-up finishes.

With her cute appearance and stable skills, she was gaining momentum until a trial came in 2020. She fell into a slump, making only one top-10 finish in 17 tournaments. Ultimately, she dropped to 64th in earnings and failed to retain her tour card. It was a painful moment after four years on the first division tour. She withdrew after shooting 77 on the first day of the KLPGA Tour qualifying tournament. Despite facing the biggest crisis of her career, she did not break down and gritted her teeth on the Dream Tour.

"I decided to develop my golf a bit more," she said, making changes such as switching swing coaches. In July last year, she won the second Dream Tour event. It was a thrilling victory after six playoffs against Jang Ji-yeon (22). Including one win and two runner-up finishes, she placed in the top 10 ten times, proudly securing 3rd place in earnings and regaining her first division tour card. Jang Eun-su’s strength is her ‘piercing iron shots.’ She ranked 9th in greens in regulation last year with 81.44%.

During the off-season, she has been honing her main weapon and improving her putting skills to complement the short game, which was lacking by about 2%. She is eagerly awaiting the opening event of the 2022 KLPGA Tour season, the Lotte Rent-a-Car Women’s Open (total prize money 700 million KRW), held on April 7 at Jeju Skyhill Golf Course. "I miss the field so much," said Jang Eun-su, "I want to have a season without regrets, and I ask for lots of support."