Danielle Kang

Birdied the 72nd hole to win the 2017 KPMG Women's PGA Championships at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club for her first professional victory.
Started playing golf at age 12. Has one brother, Alex, who is also a professional golfer. She is a longtime practitioner of tae kwon do and earned a second-degree black belt at age 7.
Qualified for the 2007 U.S. Women's Open at the age of 14. Qualified again in 2010, where she was one of six amateurs to make the cut.
Won the 2010 and 2011 U.S. Women's Amateur Championships. Played in the 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship. Helped lead the USA to a runner-up finish in the 2010 Women's World Amateur Team Championship. Was the stroke-play medalist at the 2010 U.S. Girls' Junior and the 2009 U.S. Women's Amateur. Also advanced to the first round of match play at the 2007 U.S. Women's Amateur. Advanced to the second round of match play at the U.S. Girls' Junior in 2007, 2008, and 2009.
Graduated early from high school and enrolled at Pepperdine University. Earned Golfweek All-America second-team honors in her first two seasons. Named the All-West Coast Conference (WCC) first team in her first two years as well. Had five top-10 finishes in seven tournaments in her sophomore year. Named WCC Player of the Month in September, February and March. Finished runner-up at the WCC Championships for the second straight year. WCC Freshman of the Year in 2010. T-15th at the 2010 NCAA Division I Championship. An AJGA honorable mention All-America selection in 2008 and 2009.
In August 2011, she turned professional and finished T-39th at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, where she earned Priority List Category 20 for the 2012 LPGA season.
2012 Notes: Played in 19 events, making 13 cuts. Had one top-10, finishing 3rd at the Kingsmill Championship (had a career-low 64 in the second round). Earned $239,184, putting her 52nd on the money list.
2013 Notes: Played in 24 events, making 17 cuts. Had three top-25 finishes, including one top-10, T-5th at the HSBC Women's Champions.
2014 Notes: She was 51st on the money list with $316,329 and 63rd in CME points with 22 cuts made in 27 starts. She was T-5th at the Canadian Women's Open and the Blue Bay LPGA. Kang made three holes-in-one in 2014, including aces in consecutive weeks during the Tour's Asian swing, winning cars both times. In the Blue Bay LPGA event in China, she holed an 8-iron on the 151-yard 17th hole in round one. One week later, at the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship, she aced the 156-yard 17th hole with a 7-iron. She made both aces with a ball marked with the number 17. She won a Buick LaCrosse with the first ace and an Audi A6 T2.0 with the second.
2015 Notes: In 26 events, made 23 cuts, finishing 62nd on the money list and 62nd in CME points. Only one top-10 finish, T-5th at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA.
2016 Notes: Played in 27 LPGA events, making 23 cuts. Had two top-10s, T-4th at the Women's Australian Open and T-7th at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia. Was 36th on the money list with $505,316 and 28th in CME points. After the end of the year, she had surgery to remove a growth on an eye that was caused by exposure to UV light.
2017 Notes: Played in 26 LPGA events, making 17 cuts. Had a career-high six top-10 finishes, including winning the KPMG Women's PGA Championship by a shot over Brooke M. Henderson. Was T-2nd at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, a shot back of winner Cristie Kerr. Also, T-4th at the Honda LPGA Thailand and 4th at Kingsmill Championship. She was named to the U.S. Solheim Cup team and had a 3-1-0 record in the U.S. victory. She was 2-1 in team play before winning her singles match over Emily K. Pedersen, 3 and 1.
2018 Notes: Played in 26 LPGA Tour events making 18 cuts with eight top-ten finishes. She had her most successful year as she was 11th on the money list with $1,135,441 and 15th in the Race to CME. Won for the second time at the Buick LPGA Shanghai, she had four birdies on the back nine on Sunday to win by 2 shots. Was T-2nd at the HSBC Women's Championship, 1 shot back of winner Michelle Wie. Just before the first round, Kang chipped a tooth while exercising and still shot 68 in the first round. Was T-3rd at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship, 4 shots back of winner In Gee Chun. Was 4th at the U.S. Women's Open, 8 shots out of the playoff won by Ariya Jutanugarn. She was the low American in the tournament.
2019 Notes: Played in 21 LPGA Tour events making 18 cuts with 11 top-ten finishes. Finished 9th on the money list with $1,511,443 in earnings and was 8th on the CME points list. She was T-2nd at the Kia Classic, 3 shots back of winner Nasa Hataoka. Was T-5th at the LPGA Lotte Championship, six shots back of winner Brooke Henderson. T-6th at the ANA Inspiration, 6 shots back of winner Jin Young Ko. At the KPMG Women's PGA Championship finished T-5th, four shots back of winner Hannah Green. The next week was T-2nd at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, a shot back of winner Sung Hyun Park. Earned her third career victory defending at the Buick LPGA Shanghai, beating Jessica Korda by a shot. The next week was 2nd at the BMW Ladies Championship, losing to Ha Na Jang in a three-hole playoff. Ended her season with a final round 65 at the CME Group Tour Championship to finish two shots back of winner Sei Young Kim. With the finish crossed the $5 million mark in LPGA Tour earnings. Played in her 2nd Solheim Cup and had a 1-3-0 record. Lost her singles match to Carlota Ciganda 1 up.
2020 Notes: Played in 13 LPGA Tour events making 13 cuts with five top-ten finishes. Was 4th on the money list with $897,892 in earnings and 2nd on the CME points list. Before the COVID-19 break was 3rd at the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio, two shots back of winner Madelene Sagstrom. When the break was over, Kang won the first two events: the LPGA Drive On Championship Toledo, a shot over Celine Boutier. Next week won the Marathon Classic, a shot better than Jodi Ewart Shadoff. The next week came close to winning three in a row but finished T-5th a shot back of the Stacy Lewis/Cheyenne Knight/Azahara Munoz/Emily Kristine Pedersen playoff. Was 2nd at the LPGA Drive On Championship Reynolds Lake Oconee, a shot back of winner Ally Ewing. She won the Vare Trophy with a 79.08 scoring average.
2021 Notes: Played in 21 LPGA Tour events making 19 cuts with nine top-10 finishes. Was 18th on the money list with $902,244 and 12th in CME points. Started her season by finishing 2nd at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, she led after 54 holes and lost a playoff to Jessica Korda on the first extra hole. Was T-6th at the LPGA Drive On Championship at Golden Ocala and T-7th at the Kia Classic. Finished T-5th at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play, losing her quarterfinal match to Ally Ewing 1 up. Was T-5th at the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship, T-5th again at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, and T-9th at the Marathon Classic. She qualified for the Tokyo Olympics as a U.S. women's golf team member and finished T-20th. Was T-4th at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. She made the U.S. Solheim Cup team for a third straight time. She was 1-3-0 in the matches, Kang lost her singles match to Emily Kristine Pettersen 4 & 2. Ended her year T-15th at the CME Group Tour Championship.
2022 Notes: Started the season strong with a win and a second in her first two events and top-10s in her next two. Shot four rounds in the 60s to win the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions by three shots with a 16-under 272 total. Was runner-up at the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio, one shot behind winner Lydia Ko. Followed by a T-9th at the HSBC Women's World Championship and a T-8th at the Honda LPGA Thailand. Unfortunately, she had been playing with pain in her back, and the pain worsened. In April, she found out that she had a spine tumor. By the U.S. Women's Open, doctors advised her that she wouldn't be able to play, but she defied the odds and played through the pain finishing T-63rd. Kang announced she would be taking a break from the LPGA Tour, no news on any treatment has been realized. She withdrew from the Evian Championship and Scottish Open and many are hopeful she will play in the AIG Women's Open.