Epson Tour winner Soo Bin Joo made the first hole-in-one of her LPGA Tour career on Sunday at the Dana Open. The Republic of Korea native aced the par-3 2nd hole at Highland Meadows Golf Club, holing out from 148 yards with her 6-iron to card the second hole-in-one of the week in the Buckeye State.
“I started bad on the first hole, but I was trying to stay focused again on the second hole,” said Joo. “I think that helped me make the hole-in-one. I have my 6-iron in my hand, and I was trying to draw it in. It went perfectly and landed perfectly and went in.”
It’s just the second ace of Joo’s life, as she recorded her first-ever hole-in-one during a junior tournament in Korea, an ace that has an eerie connection to her hole-in-one in Sylvania, Ohio. “I had the 6-iron in my hand at that time, too,” Joo explained. “I think I like my 6-iron now.”
Joo’s ace will see CME Group make a $20,000 donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as part of their CME Group Cares Challenge – Score 1 for St. Jude campaign, a season-long charitable giving program that turns aces into donations with a minimum guaranteed donation of $500,000 to St. Jude's at the end of each LPGA Tour season.
The 20-year-old’s hole-in-one raises the 2024 donation total to $320,000 as it is the 16th ace to be recorded on the LPGA Tour this season. While Joo was excited to make her first hole-in-one as a professional athlete in the final round of the Dana Open, she was just as happy to hear that CME Group will be contributing to childhood cancer research on her behalf.
“That's amazing,” Joo said. “It means if I play better, I get to – not me, but our LPGA gets to donate more. I'll try to play better.”
Joo ultimately recorded a 2-over 73 in the final round of the Dana Open, finishing in a tie for 53rd in just her third event of the 2024 LPGA Tour season.
She has been competing primarily on the Epson Tour this year, earning three top-20 finishes in addition to her victory at the Island Resort Championship, results that include a tie for eighth at the Casino Del Sol Golf Classic, a tie for 13th at the Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic and a tie for 19th at the Copper Rock Championship.
Joo is currently ninth in the Epson Tour’s Race for the Card, a season-long points competition on the Official Qualifying Tour of the LPGA that will see 15 LPGA Tour cards awarded after the conclusion of the Epson Tour Championship in October.
She first earned LPGA Tour membership for the 2023 season after finishing in a tie 34th at Final Qualifying in 2022.
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