| Hong Jin-joo | |
| Birth Date: | 28 February 1983 |
| Birth Place: | Seoul, South Korea |
| Residence: | Helendale, California, U.S. |
| College: | Han-Nam University |
| Yearpro: | 2003 |
| Tour: | LPGA of Korea Tour |
| Extour: | LPGA Tour |
| Prowins: | 3 |
| Lpgawins: | 1 |
| Klpgawins: | 2 |
| Nabisco: | 72nd: 2007 |
| Lpga: | T58: 2008 |
| Wusopen: | CUT: 2007 |
| Wbritopen: | T48: 2008 |
| Hangul: | 홍진주 |
| Hanja: | 洪珍珠 |
| Rr: | Hong Jinju |
| Mr: | Hong Chinju |
Hong Jin-joo or Jin-Joo Hong (Korean: 홍진주, born 28 February 1983) is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the LPGA of Korea Tour (KLPGA). She previously played on the LPGA Tour and has three professional wins.
Born in Seoul, Hong began to play golf when she was 11 years old. After playing on the LPGA of Korea Tour (KLPGA Tour) from 2004 to 2006, she won the 2006 KOLON-Hana Bank Championship, an event co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour, to earn exempt status on the LPGA the following year.[1] Hong decided to join the LPGA Tour for the 2007 season, moving from South Korea to the United States.[2] After earning about $162,000 during 2007, she made approximately $339,000 the next season.[2] In her three years on the LPGA Tour, Hong recorded two top-10 finishes; a fourth-place finish in the 2008 Evian Masters was her highest finish after becoming fully exempt on the circuit.[3]
In addition to her KOLON-Hana Bank Championship title, Hong earned a win on the KLPGA Tour in the 2006 season. In 2009, she went back to the KLPGA Tour, and had one top-10 finish, a tie for ninth at the MBC Tour Lotte Mart Ladies Open. Hong placed in the top 10 seven times during the 2010 KLPGA season; her results included a second-place finish in the Woori Investment & Securities Ladies Championship and a tie for fourth at the Korea Women's Open.[4] After playing 11 events in 2011, with a single top-10 performance, she had three top-10s the following year in 16 tournaments; her best result was fourth at the LIG Classic.[4] In 2013, she played on the LPGA of Japan Tour, in addition to one appearance on the KLPGA, and had one top-10 finish in 16 total events, a tie for ninth in the CyberAgent Ladies Golf Tournament.[4] Hong gave birth to a son in 2014, and a subsequent shoulder injury hampered her when she attempted to resume her golfing career. She missed the cut in 10 of 27 tournaments in 2015, although she finished joint second at the Bogner-MBN Ladies Open.[4]
In 2016, Hong won the KLPGA Tour's Fantom Classic in a playoff for her first professional victory since 2006.[5] That was one of her five top-10 finishes for the year, which included a tie for sixth at the Korea Women's Open. Hong missed the cut 11 times in 27 events the following season, with her highest finish a tie for ninth at the World Ladies Championship. In the 2018 season, she played 26 tournaments with one top-10 result, a tie for seventh in the McCol-Yongpyong Resort Open. The following year, Hong made the cut once in her four events played, finishing tied for 35th at the Celltrion Queens Masters. In 16 tournaments played in 2020, she had one top-20 finish.[4]
| Tournament | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kraft Nabisco Championship | 72 | CUT | CUT | |
| LPGA Championship | CUT | T58 | CUT | |
| U.S. Women's Open | CUT | DNP | WD | |
| Women's British Open | T58 | T48 | WD |
DNP = did not play
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied
CUT = missed the half-way cut
| Year | Tournaments played | Cuts made | Wins | 2nds | 3rds | Top 10s | Best finish | Earnings ($) | Money list rank | Scoring average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 217,748 | n/a | 70.43 | |
| 2007 | 21 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T6 | 162,524 | 67 | 73.85 | |
| 2008 | 22 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 339,534 | 53 | 72.37 | |
| 2009 | 17 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T30 | 69,412 | 103 | 73.21 |