Candie Kung 龔怡萍 |
|
---|---|
— Golfer — | |
Personal information | |
Full name | Kung I-Ping |
Born |
Kaohsiung, Taiwan |
8 August 1981
Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
Nationality |
Taiwan United States |
Residence | Allen, Texas, U.S. |
Career | |
College | University of Southern California |
Turned professional | 2001 |
Current tour(s) | LPGA Tour (joined 2002) |
Former tour(s) | Futures Tour (2000–01) |
Professional wins | 5 |
Number of wins by tour | |
LPGA Tour | 4 |
Symetra Tour | 1 |
Best results in LPGA major championships |
|
ANA Inspiration | T8: 2004 |
Women's PGA C'ship | T10: 2008 |
U.S. Women's Open | 2nd: 2009 |
Women's British Open | T4: 2002 |
Evian Championship | T11: 2015 |
Candie Kung (Chinese: 龔怡萍; pinyin: Gōng Yípíng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Kióng Sîn-phêng; born 8 August 1981) is an American professional golfer of Taiwanese descent who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour.
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.
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.
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.