Candie Kung

51
Candie Kung bigraphy, stories - Professional golfer

Candie Kung : biography

8 August 1981 –

Candie Kung ( born 8 August 1981) is an American professional golfer of Taiwanese descent who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour.

Team appearances

Professional

  • Lexus Cup (representing Asia team): 2005, 2006 (winners), 2007 (winners), 2008

Professional wins (5)

LPGA Tour (4)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin ofvictory Runner(s)-up
1 19 Apr 2003 LPGA Takefuji Classic –12 (67-67-70=204) 2 strokes KOR}} Soo-Yun Kang Cristie Kerr Annika Sörenstam
2 24 Aug 2003 Wachovia LPGA Classic –14 (71-67-66-70=274) 2 strokes USA}} Meg Mallon Se Ri Pak
3 31 Aug 2003 State Farm Classic –14 (64-67-71=202) 1 stroke ENG}} Laura Davies
4 2 Nov 2008 Hana Bank-KOLON Championship –6 (70-71-69=210) 1 stroke AUS}} Katherine Hull

LPGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 2008 Navistar LPGA Classic USA}} Cristie Kerr Lorena Ochoa Ochoa won with par on second extra holeKerr eliminated with par on first hole

Futures Tour (1)

  • 2001 (1) SBC FUTURES Tour Championship

Personal information

Kung was born in Taiwan and moved to the United States in 1995. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in approximately 2005; She does not hold dual citizenship. She currently lives in Allen, Texas.

Results in LPGA majors

Tournament 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Kraft Nabisco Championship DNP DNP CUT DNP T28 T8 T9 T24 T60 T21 T30
LPGA Championship DNP DNP DNP CUT CUT T64 T13 T44 DNP T10 T57
U.S. Women’s Open CUT DNP DNP DNP CUT T5 T6 T28 T58 T19 2
Women’s British Open ^ DNP T4 T10 T29 T22 T10 T33 T42 CUT
Tournament 2010 2011 2012 2013
Kraft Nabisco Championship T69 T62 T49 T69
LPGA Championship 72 T20 29 T44
U.S. Women’s Open T28 T13 CUT WD
Women’s British Open CUT T14 38
The Evian Championship ^^

^ The Women’s British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001 ^^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013 DNP = did not play WD = withdrew CUT = missed the halfway cut "T" = tied Yellow background for top-10.

Summary

  • Starts – 47
  • Wins – 0
  • 2nd place finishes – 1
  • 3rd place finishes – 0
  • Top 3 finishes – 1
  • Top 5 finishes – 3
  • Top 10 finishes – 9
  • Top 25 finishes – 17
  • Missed cuts – 8
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 23
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2

Amateur career

Kung was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. She was a three-time American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) All-American and was named 1999 AJGA Player of the Year. She won the 2001 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links. While at USC, Kung was a two-time NCAA All-American and won the 2000 Pac-10 Championship.

Professional career

After turning pro in 2001, Kung initially played on the second tier Futures Tour, and she won the SBC Futures Tour Championship that year. She tied for 15th at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament to win a place on the main tour for 2002. She had a solid rookie season, finishing 36th on the money list. In 2003 she won her first three LPGA events, and was sixth on the money list. She finished 17th on the money list in 2004, tied for 11th in 2005, and 29th in 2006. Kung won her fourth LPGA tournament at the Hana Bank-KOLON Championship in 2008.

Kung came close to winning the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open. She finished the tournament at one over 285 and was tied for first till Eun-Hee Ji birdied the final hole to take home the title.