Jimin Kang

Started playing golf at the age of 13. Credits God, her mother, her brother David, her grandmother, coach Jim Flick and Patrick Ward for most influencing her career.
Had an extensive and impressive amateur career that began with an American Junior Golf Association Rolex All-American selection in 1996. An AJGA Rolex All-American honorable mention selection in 1999, the same year she was named the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) Amateur Player of the Year. In 1998, was the PNGA Junior Player of the Year and won titles at the Orange Bowl International Junior Golf Championships, the PING Junior Championships and the Polo Golf Junior Championships. In 1999, won the WIAA state and district championships, the Washington Women's Amateur Championship and was the runner-up at the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship. Qualified to play in the 1999 SAFECO Classic in Kent, Wash., and threw out the first pitch at a Seattle Mariners game at SAFECO Field during tournament week.
As a freshman at Arizona State University, she was a Second-Team All-Pac 10 selection for the 2000-01 season and earned First-Team All-Pac-10 honors the following year after winning the 2002 Pac-10 Championship. Also won the 2001 New Mexico State Intercollegiate and recorded 10 top-10 finishes in two years of collegiate competition. In 2001, won the PNGA Women's Amateur Championship. She was a National Golf Coaches Association First-Team All-American for the 2001-02 season and played on the West All-Regional Team from 2001-02.
In July 2002, turned professional. On the Duramed Futures Tour, won the M&T Bank Loretto Futures Golf Classic and finished fourth at the Betty Puskar Futures Golf Classic. Tied for 24th at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament to earn non-exempt status for the 2003 LPGA season.
In 2003, tied for 33rd at the CJ Nine Bridges Classic. Returned to the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, where she tied for 42nd to retain non-exempt status for the 2004 LPGA season.
In 2004, recorded eight top-10 finishes, including two wins on the Futures Tour and topped the Futures Tour money list, earning 2004 Futures Tour Player of the Year honors and exempt status for the 2005 LPGA season.
In 2005, became a first-time winner at the LPGA Corning Classic, where she recorded her first LPGA career hole-in-one during the final round. Carded a career-low 62 the next week at the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Recorded her second-career LPGA hole-in-one during the first round of the State Farm Classic.
In 2006, best finish was a tie for ninth at the LPGA Takefuji Classic.
In 2007, best finish was a tie for sixth at The Mitchell Company LPGA Tournament of Champions.
In 2008, best finish was a tie for seventh at the Hana Bank - Kolon Championship. She crossed the $1 million mark in career earnings at the LPGA State Farm Classic.
In 2009, best finish was a tie for eighth at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
In 2010, recorded her second LPGA victory at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysi by a one-stroke margin over Juli Inkster.
In 2011, best finish was a tie for third at the LPGA HanaBank Championship, where she crossed the $2 million mark in career earnings.
2012 Notes: Played in 21 events, 11 cuts made, $133,130 (69). She had one top-10 finish and recorded season-best T5 finish at Honda LPGA Thailand.
2013 Notes: Played in three events, was T-13th at RR Donnelley Founders cup but then missed cut at the Kia Classic and Kraft Nabisco Championship. She always had allergy problems and had to wear a mask while she played to make it easier to breathe. To survive the day, Kang took more than a dozen pills, used an inhaler and nasal spray, and injected herself with an EpiPen if things got too bad. After the Kraft, she couldn't take it anymore, check herself into the Rochester Mayo Clinic. After a couple of weeks, it was determined that she was overmedicating herself and her immune system was being affected. She took the next eight months off, spending weeks on the floor with an ice pack and rested to build up her immune system.
2014 Notes: Kang returned to the LPGA at the JTBC Founders Cup but missed the cut. She struggled most of the year, playing in 15 events only making seven cuts. Her best finish was T32nd at the LOTTE Championship. After missing the cut at the Yokohama Tire Classic in Alabama, she donated her equipment and called it quits. She felt that was it, would never play golf again and moved to upstate New York to be with her family.
2015 Notes: After more time off Kang got healthier and changed her mind on golf. Her game was rusty from the time off, but she worked hard. She went on the Symetra Tour and in her first start finished T-4th. In her fourth start at the Mission Health Wellness Classic in Illinois, she started with six birdies and went on to win the tournament and $16,500. It was her fifth win on the Symetra Tour but she realized her game was back the next week when she was able to have the stamina to get through Women's Open qualifying and get a spot after winning a playoff and playing 37 holes. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to play the Women's Open, withdrawing and deciding to take some time off.
2018 Notes: After not playing and resting, she decided to try again, her first event back was the Lotte Championship. She played in that event and four others, plus one on the Symetra Classic and missed the cut in all six.
2019 Notes: Kang has been working on getting healthy after years of misdiagnoses. She tried to Monday qualify for the Bank of Hope Founders Cup earlier this year but didn't get in. She was runner-up in a playoff at the 2018 LPGA T&CP National Championship, which earned her a spot in this year's KPMG Women's PGA Championship. At that time, she was working on getting her LPGA T&CP Class A membership which she got. Jimin played last week at the Symetra Tour event, the Zimmer Biomet Championship.