Aree Song

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Aree Song (Korean 송아리) (born Aree Wongluekiet May 1, 1986) is a Korean professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. Her father is South Korean and her mother is Thai. She was born in Bangkok, Thailand. She is a South Korean citizen, and has represented Thailand in junior team competition, but she has spent much of her life in the United States.

[edit] Early life and amateur career

Song was a child prodigy, setting a number of "youngest" age records. In 1999 she won the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship at thirteen years old, becoming the youngest player to win any United States Golf Association championship. In 2000 she tied for 10th place in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, at the age of thirteen. The same year, a few months after her fourteenth birthday, she became the youngest ever semi-finalist at the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship. In 2001 she was the recipient of the Nancy Lopez Award, which is presented to the best female amateur golfer of the year. The next year she placed first individually at the World Amateur Team Championships and helped Thailand to a second place finish. She won a number of adult amateur events in 2002 and 2003 and in the latter year she placed fifth at the U.S. Women's Open.

[edit] Professional career

Song turned professional in August 2003 at the age of 17 and 3 months. She was granted an exemption from the LPGA's minimum age rule to allow her to enter the 2003 LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, and she came fifth in it to earn exemption for the LPGA Tour in 2004. In her rookie season she finished second at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and ended the year at twenty-eighth place on the money list. She struggled to find form in the 2005 and fell to 58th on the money list.

Song's twin sister Naree Song (Korean: 송나리) is also a member of the LPGA Tour.