By SEAN MARTIN
Assistant EditorDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Sukjin Lee Wuesthoff won the 2003 U.S. Girls’ Junior thanks to the largest comeback in tournament history. Now she’s trying to make an even more impressive one.
The 21-year-old is at LPGA Q-School, trying to resurrect her once-promising career.
Wuesthoff played sparingly and unimpressively on the Duramed Futures Tour in 2005 and 2006, never finishing better than T-18 in 18 events. She quit the tour halfway through last season and headed to her native Korea, not returning to the U.S. until this spring.
“I just think that I needed to rest,” Wuesthoff said.
Wuesthoff only played a couple mini-tour events this year before the first stage of Q-School. Keeping with the comeback theme, she shot a final-round 69 to advance to final stage.
Wuesthoff started this week with another 69, then shot 74 Friday to sit T-26. The top 17 players earn their LPGA cards, while the next 35 earn non-exempt status.
Wuesthoff moved to New Jersey from Korea in 1999 to live with her aunt and uncle and avoid the high price of golf in Korea.
She turned pro in April 2005 as one of the best junior players in the country. She was a two-time Canon Cup participant, and beat several big names to win the Girls’ Junior. She was 5 down to defending champ In-Bee Park in the final before winning, 1 up.
Wuesthoff also beat Jane Park, who won the U.S. Women’s Amateur the following year and is leading this week; Esther Choe,
Golfweek’s former No. 1 junior; and Mina Harigae, this year’s Women’s Amateur Public Links champ, en route to that national championship.
In-Bee Park earned $380,000 on the LPGA this year. Julieta Granada, who won the 2004 Girls’ Junior, earned the $1 million first prize at last year’s ADT Championship.
Wuesthoff has earned $3,236 in her Futures Tour career. Wrist and knee injuries hampered her development, as did the mini-tour grind.
“She was young, only 18 (when she turned pro),” said her instructor, 1998 PGA National Teacher of the Year David Glenz. “I’m not sure she was used to that much competition and that much travel.”
This week, she’s just another player. Glenz is carrying a blank black stand bag. An LPGA International logo was the only one on her white shirt.
Glenz lost contact with his pupil while she was in Korea, but said she’s been “real enthusiastic” about her game since her return. They still watch tape of her swing from three years ago, when she was playing some of her best golf.
“Her swing three years ago was terrific,” Glenz said. “I still have that on my computer, so we actually compare a lot to when she was swinging the club great. We made a few improvements, but we didn’t need to do a lot (when she got back).”
Wuesthoff didn’t enter this year’s Futures Tour Q-School, so she’ll be without a place to play if she doesn’t earn any status this week.
She said she’s not feeling the usual Q-School pressure, probably because she already knows how to make a great comeback.
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Sean Martin is a Golfweek.com assistant editor. To reach him e-mail smartin@golfweek.com.
Posted: 11/29/2007
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