Quick Facts
Biography
Amy Yang, also known as Yang Hee-Young (Korean: 양희영, born 28 July 1989) is a Korean professional golfer, currently playing on the United States-based LPGA Tour and on the Ladies European Tour (LET).
Amateur career
Yang began playing golf at age 10 in her native Korea and moved to the Gold Coast of Australia with her family at age 15 to pursue golf more seriously.
In 2005 she won the Queensland Amateur Championship, the youngest winner ever of that championship. In 2006, while still an amateur she won the ANZ Ladies Masters on the Ladies European Tour (LET), making her the youngest winner ever on the LET at age 16 years, 192 days.
Professional career
After her win in at the ANZ Ladies Masters, the LET offered Yang a special three-year membership exemption beginning in 2006 as a 17-year-old, providing she traveled with her parents until she turned 18. She recorded four top-20 finishes in 2007 while still attended high school.
Yang attended LPGA Tour qualifying school in the fall of 2007 and obtained conditional status on the LPGA Tour as well for 2008.
In June 2008, Yang claimed her second LET win with a four-shot win at the Ladies German Open. Upon winning, Yang announced that she was donating her entire prize of $61,260 to victims of a recent earthquake in China.
That December, she returned to the LPGA Qualifying School, this time earning full playing status for 2009 by finishing second in the five-round event.
On 20 October 2013, Yang won her first LPGA Tour event at the LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship. She birdied the first sudden-death playoff hole to defeat Hee-Kyung Seo.
On 1 March 2015, Yang won her second LPGA Tour championship at the Honda LPGA Thailand.
Personal life
Yang lives with her father, Joon Mo (James), mother, Sun Hee (Sunny), and younger brother, Steven. In the fall of 2007 the family moved from Australia to Orlando, Florida.
Professional wins (6)
LPGA Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | Winner's share ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 Oct 2013 | LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship | 67-71-69=207 | −9 | Playoff |  Hee-Kyung Seo | 285,000 |
| 2 | 1 Mar 2015 | Honda LPGA Thailand | 67-66-71-69=273 | −15 | 2 strokes | Mirim Lee Stacy Lewis Yani Tseng | 225,000 |
LPGA Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2011 | Walmart NW Arkansas Championship | Yani Tseng | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 2013 | LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship | Hee-Kyung Seo | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
Ladies European Tour (3)
- 2006 (1) ANZ Ladies Masters (as an amateur)
- 2008 (2) Ladies German Open, Scandinavian TPC hosted by Annika
KLPGA Tour (2)
- 2011 (1) KB Star Championship
- 2013 (1) LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship (co-sanctioned by LPGA Tour)
Results in LPGA majors
Results not in chronological order before 2015.
| Tournament | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANA Inspiration | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T27 | T19 | T4 | T32 | 10 | T29 | T14 |
| Women's PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | T9 | T14 | T12 | CUT | T5 | CUT | T26 | 7 |
| U.S. Women's Open | DNP | T50 | CUT | T34 | T5 | T10 | 2 | T50 | 4 | 2 | T3 |
| Women's British Open | T60 | DNP | CUT | CUT | T5 | 4 | T26 | CUT | T21 | T36 | DNP |
| The Evian Championship ^ | T67 | T54 | T8 | T14 | |||||||
^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013.
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANA Inspiration | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 7 |
| Women's PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
| U.S. Women's Open | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 9 |
| Women's British Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 6 |
| The Evian Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Totals | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 14 | 20 | 38 | 32 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (2014 Evian – 2016 Evian, current)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (2011 U.S. Open – 2012 Kraft Nabisco)
LPGA Tour career summary
| Year | Events Played | Cuts Made | Wins | 2nds | 3rds | Top 10s | Best finish | Earnings ($) | Money list rank | Scoring Average | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T52 | n/a | n/a | 74.38 | n/a |
| 2007 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T50 | 17,100 | n/a | 74.38 | n/a |
| 2008 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T9 | 60,834 | 129 | 72.45 | n/a |
| 2009 | 23 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | T3 | 302,816 | 45 | 71.68 | 29 |
| 2010 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 765,930 | 14 | 71.09 | 13 |
| 2011 | 20 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 890,939 | 9 | 70.82 | 5 |
| 2012 | 22 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 844,305 | 13 | 71.04 | 12 |
| 2013 | 22 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 719,481 | 18 | 70.76 | 13 |
| 2014 | 21 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | T2 | 618,180 | 25 | 71.60 | 37 |
| 2015 | 23 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 1,438,312 | 6 | 70.51 | 10 |
| 2016 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 9 | T2 | 1,152,426 | 13 | 70.09 | 7 |
- official as of the 2016 season
- "Amy Yang stats". LPGA. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
Team appearances
Professional
- International Crown (representing South Korea): 2016