Son rising, continued from 53 spot on the Symetra Tour, the LPGA’s developmental tour, formerly called the Futures Tour. Donofrio says the LPGA doesn’t like to release the number of petitions it receives each year, but said the tour considers a player’s background, education, recommendations and asks them why they want to join the tour. Son, who is ninth in Golfweek’s junior girls rankings, also has opportunities this year to play in LPGA events through qualifying events. Despite being only a teenager, she’s had laser-like focus on her longtime dream of pro golf. “I tell people all the time, I’ve been teaching golf for 30 years and there’s been three people that have had the same sort of, I call it tunnel vision, where at a very young age they already know what they want and she’s one of the three,” said her golf coach Rob Noel, who runs a golf academy in Louisiana. “The other was Patrick Reed, who I worked with for eight years, and then (LSU’s) Jacob Bergeron.” Reed has five Tour wins and placed second at last year’s PGA Championship. Bergeron, a freshman, is one of the Tigers’ top players. New for 2018, getting through Q School is more difficult for golfers like Son after changes to the format and how the Q School field is determined. In a November 2017 GolfWorld story, Whan explained the new format: “When we go to [2017 Q School] stage three in a week, you’ll probably have 80 or 85 players in that field that came from Stage 2. In 2018, I’ll bet that number will be somewhere around 20 to 30, maybe 20 to 25 that will come from Stage 2. So what that means is you can still go Stage 1, Stage 2, Q Series, LPGA card. But that will be a much tighter funnel and harder to do. The superstars of the time will still get through that, but generally speaking most players will get to Stage 2, play a year on the Symetra Tour and play their way on to the LPGA.” The new format doesn’t concern Son. “If I play my best, I know I can do it,” Son said. “Even though I guess you could say it’s gotten harder, it doesn’t change how I play.” Said her mom, Mija: “I think she has a little bit of pressure, but she manages everything. She told me, ‘Mom, I’m ready to go to qualifying school.’ I did not say, ‘Right now you should go to qualifying school.’ I didn’t say anything about it. But she wanted it.” If Son doesn’t earn her Tour card, she could still qualify for the Symetra Tour (as Chun did last year), where she would be GOLF OKL AHOMA • APRIL/MAY 2018
among the few teenagers, and will still get a year’s worth of pro experience before taking aim at Q School again in 2019. “It would be cool to go through all three stages and go to the LPGA Tour right away, but that might not happen because it’s really hard,” Son said. “A year on the Symetra Tour, I don’t think that would be a bad idea either.” Son got a taste of the LPGA Tour last year, finishing tied for 67th in the 80-player field at the LPGA Taiwan Championship. She said nerves got the best of her during an openinground 79, but rebounded with a final-round 72. “I learned a lot from watching the pros and trying to play with them,” Son said. “It was such a nice experience. I loved it.” Son, a native of Busan, South Korea, came to the United States when she was 6 years old. Her mom wanted to study English and further her education. Son first picked up a club at age 9. By 11, she was named the U.S. Kids National Player of the Year and has since piled up wins at the amateur level, the Oklahoma Junior Golf level and the American Junior Golf Association level. Her star is definitely on the rise. “No one knows what the future holds
with something like that, but if she stays healthy and she continues on her path, I think the sky’s the limit,” said Sheila Dills, the former president of the Women’s Oklahoma Golf Association and a family friend. “I definitely Son never lost a match think she has all in three WOGA State the makeup for Amateurs. greatness.” Added Noel: “I think she could be one of the top ever. She’s pretty special.” Son, who is homeschooled, plays golf seven days a week, and with her coach in Louisiana, is mostly on her own. She also has a mental coach and together they compiled a list of ambitious goals that Son keeps on her phone. One goal reads that she’ll be on the LPGA Tour by Jan. 1, 2019. “Right now I am not growing up like a normal teenager would,” Son said. “I am missing out on a lot of experiences, but I’m doing what I love. I love to play golf.”
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