Auckland golf professionals Hanee Song and Wenyung Keh have shared the honours as joint recipients of the 2020 NZ Professional Women Golfers Trust KFC Golf Scholarship.
The scholarship is awarded each year to help further the golfing career of young New Zealand women professional golfers and to assist golfers to afford to attend qualifying school, play on the tour or develop their coaching career.
Both Song and Keh set to be competing on the China Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour (CLPGA) in 2020, the scholarship of $13,000 will be split evenly with the goal of them attending the LPGA qualifying school in August.
The CLPGA postponed all events on their tour in early February due to the coronavirus outbreak but with the virus under control in China, the first of their tour events is now scheduled to take place on June 18 in Wuhan.
Song will return to the CLPGA in 2020 following a successful 2019 season finishing with a ranking of 11 including four top 10’s across the CLPGA and ALPG tours, Song aims to break into the top five ranking this year, ranked 611 in the World.
“I’m very grateful to be selected as a KFC Golf Scholarship recipient,” Song said to the NZPWG.
“I’ve played in the NZPWG tournament since 2016 and would like to acknowledge the positive impact this scholarship will have.
“I aiming to build on my success in 2019. The scholarship will allow me to access high-performance coaching and contribute towards entry costs for the major qualifying schools this year.”
View this post on Instagram
Loving the millions of lily pads at Wuhan Orient CC🌸🌸🌸 📷:@tahniarav_golf
Rookie professional Keh will be out to compete with the experienced professionals after gaining full status on the CLPGA this year. Keh had an exceptional amateur career including being a member of the 2016 NCAA National Championship team with the University of Washington and finishing tied second at the Asia Pacific Amateur in 2018.
“This is my first year as a professional and I’m looking forward to making an impact on tour,” Keh explained to NZPWG.
“It will be a big adjustment from amateur golf particularly as I will be managing my own schedule and logistics but I’m fortunate that my sisters will be on tour with me.”
Wenyung is the second Keh sister to benefit from the KFC Golf Scholarship with Munchin being a joint recipient in 2017 and receiving the NZPWG Fellowship in 2018.
The funds from the KFC Golf Scholarship will contribute to flights, accommodation, coaching and tournament entry fees and will allow both players to focus on their preparation and performance.
“Hanee and Wenyung are both working hard to establish themselves on the international stage and we’re excited to follow their progress this season” commented NZPWG Board Member, Kristin Farrell.
