Yang Hee-young: "I Didn't Want to Wear a Hat Without a Logo"

Wearing a 'Smile Hat' at the Tour Championship
Chosen Due to Lack of Main Sponsor
Final Victory: "Age Is Just a Number"

Yang Hee-young wore a special hat at the final event of the 2023 season of the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, the CME Group Tour Championship (total prize money of $7 million). On the 19th (local time), at the final 4th round of the tournament held at the Tiburon Golf Club Gold Course (par 72, 6,556 yards) in Naples, Florida, she wore a hat embroidered with a smiley face.

Yang Hee-young, wearing a 'Smile Hat,' is smiling brightly while holding a golf ball with a smile drawn on it right after winning the CME Group Tour Championship. [Naples, USA = AFP·Yonhap News]

Right after securing her 5th career win, her first in 4 years and 9 months since the Honda LPGA Thailand in February 2019, she said in the victory interview, "This year, I couldn't find a main sponsor, but I didn't want to leave the hat blank. So I embroidered a smiley face on it." Yang Hee-young has only won in Korea and Thailand, but has carried the label of never having won a tournament on the U.S. mainland. After achieving 4 wins, she failed to produce notable results, and her main sponsor contract was terminated.

Yang Hee-young suffered from tennis elbow due to rock climbing, a hobby she started last year. She even took painkillers to compete in this tournament. She revealed, "While playing golf, I had ups and downs, but I never thought about retirement as much as I did this season," adding, "I suffered from an elbow injury and thought, 'There aren't many days left in my career as a player.'" However, with the help of her coach and family, she changed her mindset and was rewarded with a victory at the season's final tournament.

Born in 1989, Yang Hee-young emigrated to Australia with her parents at the age of 15 and began playing golf seriously. She stood out by winning various amateur tournaments as well as professional competitions. With a solid physique and flexible swing, she was called the "Second Park Se-ri." Yang Hee-young received a winner's prize of $2 million (approximately 2.6 billion KRW), overcoming a difficult period. She smiled and said, "Age is just a number. I hope everyone never gives up, keeps dreaming, and works hard."