2011-born finishes tied for 13th at 2-under in Lotte Open 1st round
Brother Ahn Sunghyun, sister Ahn Yeonju: a golf family
"My ultimate goal is to become world number one"
A long-hitting amateur born in 2011 has emerged.
The golfer in question is Ahn Yoonjoo. On July 3, at the Bears Best Cheongna Golf Club in Incheon (par 72, 6,684 yards), she put on an impressive display of long drives during the first round of the 15th Lotte Open on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, which has a total prize fund of 1.2 billion won. With a clean round featuring two birdies and no bogeys, she finished tied for 13th place at 2-under-par 70. She is three strokes behind the leader, Ma Dasom, who shot a 5-under-par 67.
Amateur Ahn Yoonjoo is posing after completing the first round of the Lotte Open. Photo by Yonhap News
Ahn Yoonjoo began playing golf in the third grade of elementary school. Her older brother, Ahn Sunghyun, is currently a national team member, and her older sister, Ahn Yeonju, was also a member of the national reserve team. Standing at 170 cm tall, Ahn Yoonjoo showcased her impressive driving ability, hitting 282.2 yards on the 8th hole (par 4) that day. Park Junwon, who won the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in 2014, is her coach and served as her caddie for this round.
After completing her first appearance in a professional tournament, Ahn Yoonjoo said, "I'm satisfied because I played a bogey-free round today," and added, "I think I was more nervous than at any tournament I've played so far." She continued, "The greens were faster and more challenging than in amateur tournaments, but overall I played well today, so I got a good result." She also stated, "My goal for this tournament is to make the cut, and my long-term goal as a golfer is to become world number one."
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