OCALA, Fla. – Ha Na Jang must love calling her trio of dogs.
They’re named Albatross, Eagle and Birdie.
“I need one more dog, `Hole-in-One,’” Jang said.
After making history last week at the Pure Silk Bahamas Classic, Jang is looking to improve her history this week at the Coates Golf Championship. She’s looking to finish one spot better than her runner-up finish last year, and she’s off to a good start.
A week after becoming the first LPGA pro to make a hole-in-one at a par 4, Jang took the first-round lead Wednesday at Coates, opening with a 7-under-par 65.
“I felt very comfortable today, because last year I had a second place, so I really have more confidence on this golf course,” Jang said.
Jang, 23, finished second to Na Yeon Choi at Golden Ocala last year, in Jang’s first start as an LPGA rookie. Jang was the Korean LPGA Player of the Year in 2013 but is still looking for her first LPGA title after some near misses last season. She started 2015 with that second-place finish and ended last year with a second-place finish at the CME Group Tour Championship. Overall, Jang had four second-place finishes last season.
About those dogs of hers, Jang has a Pomeranian named Birdie and a Border Collie named Eagle. After she made the hole-in-one at a 218-yard par 4 at Pure Silk last week, Jang told her mother she needed a third dog to name Albatross. So, her mother bought her another Pomeranian.
