LOS ANGELES: Danielle Kang hopes her successful comeback from a spinal tumor can inspire others as she chases a seventh LPGA Tour victory in familiar surroundings on Thursday.
The 29-year-old Californian tees off at the Mediheal Championship at the Saticoy Club outside Los Angeles this week in her fifth tournament since returning to golf after a near three-month layoff.
Kang, who was given an honorary membership to Saticoy during her college days at nearby Pepperdine University, came within a whisker of a fairytale victory in Arkansas last month, when she was beaten in a playoff by Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul.
Kang said she hoped that successful return to golf can act as inspiration for others battling health or personal challenges.
“When people see me I just want them to have hope they you can do it too,” Kang told a press conference on Wednesday.
“My life sometimes hasn’t gone the way I wanted to, and I know that a lot of people’s lives are like that. Everybody feels that.
“So that’s why I want people to know, Hey, whatever it is, your problem, it’s all relative. Nothing is too small or too big.
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“Whatever the struggle is you’re going through, you’re going to get through it,” said Kang, who believes her competitive drive fueled her return to the sport.
“I didn’t want to sit at home and watch people play majors and miss out,” she said.
“I didn’t watch (golf) because it drove me nuts to watch it. I didn’t watch any sports. Just watched Netflix.”
Kang meanwhile is still taking things slowly as she eases back to life on the tour, adjusting her swing and managing her schedule accordingly.
“We just have to keep pushing through,” Kang said. “It’s going to take a little time. The rest of the year’s schedule is one week on, one week off for me…I’m excited because I think I’ve come really far in a very short amount of time for me.”
The Mediheal was moved to Southern California this season after being staged in the Bay Area for the past three editions.
Kang said the firm conditions and challenging layout at the course in Somis could put low scores at a premium this week.
“That’s just the beauty of Southern California golf,” she said.
“This golf course has small greens, always tilted, it’s just narrow, trees everywhere, and I like that kind of difficulty.
“I don’t believe that the scores will be that low. I shot 85 here before.”
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