[PHOTO: Michael Reaves]
A fortnight ago, Amy Yang banked $US2 million ($A3 million) with an out-of-nowhere victory at the CME Group Tour Championship. But instead of popping champagne and taking an extended holiday, the tour veteran was back at work this week at LPGA Q Series, the final stage of the tour’s qualifying school.
Wait, what?!?
OK, the 32-year-old South Korean isn’t playing at Q Series. Rather, she’s caddieing in Alabama at Magnolia Grove Golf Course after good friend Jennifer Song reached out to her for some support, and a little good luck.
Song, a 33-year-old former US Women’s Amateur champion who played her rookie season on the LPGA Tour in 2011, is trying to get her card back after a tough 2023 season. Her best finish in 18 starts was T-27, as she ended up outside the top 100 in the season-long CME points race.
Having the Tour Championship winner on her bag seemed to work nicely for Song during Thursday’s opening round. She shot a three-under 69 on the Crossings course to sit in T-13 with five more rounds to go.
“We had a lot of fun out there,” Song told LPGA.com of Yang being on the bag. “We were talking about everything but golf. We were just like, What should we eat? It’s so cold. We were snacking a lot and just talking about a lot of things other than golf.”
Song said the dynamic helped her stay relaxed.
“The only time we need to focus is when we are doing our routine,” Song said. “So getting our mind slightly out of it while we’re walking, I think this helps a lot ease the tension. We’re just having fun out there.”
