This season, Jang Hana took part in 26 events on the Korean Women’s Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour but never advanced past the cut. She did not earn any Korean won. Additionally, she lost her qualification for the following year.
There are rumors that she is "going through the retirement process." However, when Jang Hana, 33, was encountered at her office near Sungnyemun in Seoul on the 18th, she laughed and stated, "I'm playing more rounds these days than during the season. I'm also planning to attend winter training. If I were to retire, I would just store my golf clubs and take a break." She added, "I've identified the reason for my slump and am almost back to my previous skills," and mentioned, "My golf career keeps moving forward."
Jang Hana is a renowned athlete who has secured 15 professional victories (ranking fifth in history) on the KLPGA Tour, earning a total of 5.8 billion South Korean won in tournament prizes (second in history). She is recognized as the "Long Drive Girl" due to her strong driving skills, and she ruled the local circuit before claiming four titles on the U.S. LPGA Tour. Following her return to the domestic tour in 2017, she achieved seven additional wins.
However, in mid-2022, her performance became unpredictable. The precision and length of her tee shots declined considerably, and even her iron play was impacted in a cascading effect. The distance of her drive, which previously surpassed 250 yards, dropped into the low 200s. Last year, her average drive distance was 201 yards, and this year it increased slightly to 208 yards, placing her 115th on the tour. Both her fairway accuracy and greens in regulation remained among the lowest in the rankings.
Jang Hana stated, "I made an error by switching my strong swing to a more regulated one in order to extend my career," and continued, "I abandoned my unique style of golf and ultimately faced failure." She clarified, "I should have improved other aspects while maintaining the original foundation (swing), but by eliminating the foundation, the whole structure crumbled."
Jang Hana also faced challenges with driver yips (a condition where someone unexpectedly struggles to carry out a routine action correctly). She compared the yips to "office workers typing on a keyboard without looking because they know where the 'ㄱ' key is, but suddenly not knowing how to press the keys even when their fingers are on them." She mentioned, "I was so frightened that I found it hard to even step onto the tee box."
Since August last year, Jang Hana started to correct the errors she had previously made. Understanding that altering her swing path had affected her rhythm and caused her to lose her sense of the game, she initially concentrated on redeveloping the feeling of hitting the ball correctly without concerning herself with the swing path. She swung with confidence and in sync.
Jang Hana stated, "I believe I have regained more than 90% of my original skills." Indeed, her signature long drives appear to be slowly coming back. In the first tournament of the season, her average drive distance was under 170 yards, but by the end of last month's S-Oil Championship, she achieved an average of 259 yards. She mentioned, "Seeing the results with my own eyes boosts my confidence." She confidently asserted that her short game is "even better than during my peak years." This season, her average putts per round were 29.49, placing her eighth. She chuckled and said, "It's because I approach and putt with the mindset of 'this is do or die.'"
Because of years of underperformance, Jang Hana does not have a spot for next year's main tour. Recently, the KLPGA provided "special spots" to certain players who either played in the main tour for 10 straight years or accumulated prize money exceeding 2.5 billion Korean won. Despite having 15 career victories and about 5.8 billion Korean won in total earnings, Jang Hana was not included. It is believed that her time on the U.S. tour made it difficult for her to meet the "10 consecutive years" requirement. She stated, "It's disappointing, but I'm not upset. I'll take this as new motivation." To compete locally, she needs to take part in the second-tier tour qualification in March next year. However, she did not talk about specific plans. A representative from her agency mentioned, "She has received invitations from overseas tours, but she needs some time to think things through first."
Veteran Jang Hana displayed energy similar to that of a newcomer. She remarked, "Golf is a lifelong companion and constant challenge," and continued, "I am working hard to maintain the fire of my passion." Even during her downtime, she seldom follows golf news, so she only recently discovered that Yani Tseng (Taiwan), against whom she played on the LPGA Tour, won a competition last month after a 12-year absence. Yani Tseng, who once held the top ranking in the world, dropped to the bottom due to putting issues but made an amazing return.
Jang Hana stated, "I was impressed by Yani's determination, and I think I can make a return whenever I want," and continued, "Even if I don't win, I want to exceed the standards I've set in my mind."
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