Jenny shows class

GLENELG’S Jenny Lee has been honing her golf skills since primary school, hoping to become a professional player.

As a Year 5 student, Jenny would skip afternoon classes with her teacher’s permission and practise at a driving range near her home in Seoul, South Korea.

She would leave school about three hours early and hit balls for up to nine hours.

That drove a fierce desire to improve, which continues today through four-hour practice sessions every night after school.

Jenny’s hard work is starting to pay off. The 16-year-old has won her past two tournaments – this month’s SA Junior Masters and SA Junior Amateur Championship – both for the second time.

Her victory at the Junior Masters was by 16 strokes.

“When I was in Korea I was meant to finish school around 3pm but I went to the range just after lunch,” Jenny said. “I was kind of skipping (classes) but the school teacher was all right with it.

“I was hitting well on the range and I improved.”

Jenny took up the sport after encouragement from one of her school teachers in South Korea.

She started taking lessons a short time later.

“My teacher liked golf and he thought I could be good,” she said.

“When I first tried golf it was fun to hit the ball and be out on the course.”

Jenny moved to Australia in 2006, initially settling in Sydney. There she took her game to a new level, winning the Srixon International Sub-Junior Classic in 2009 and the Harvey Norman Sub-Junior tournament the following year.

Her family moved to Adelaide in April 2010.

She joined Glenelg Golf Club, where she plays off scratch.

Last year she won the SA Junior Masters and SA Junior Amateur Championship for the first time.

The Year 11 Brighton Secondary School student aims to play more senior tournaments this year.

She eventually hopes to land a golf scholarship at a US college.

Story courtesy of Guardian Messenger  |  Matt Turner  |  25th January 2012