Kang talks of her new mindset after challenging 2022

World number 14 Danielle Kang will feature in the Aramco Team Series presented by Public Investment Fund – Singapore this week with a refreshed mindset and new outlook on life.

The American heads into the sixth event on a record-breaking Ladies European Tour schedule, and her fourth event of the season, feeling fitter and healthier after taking time off from competitive golf in 2022 due to a spinal tumour.

Kang returns to the Aramco Team Series fold after a sole appearance at Glen Oaks Golf Club in New York in 2021 and is excited for the week ahead at Laguna National Golf Resort Club having changed her perspective on the game after her health difficulties.

She commented: “The biggest lesson I learned is that I’m not trying to base myself as a golfer by the result of how my day ends up. Giving you an example. HSBC third round I played probably better than I played the second day and shot 9-under versus 1-under.

“Things like that back in the day would bother me but it didn't and that’s the kind of the mentality that I had to relearn and I'm going to have to keep practicing week in and week out.”

Kang spoke candidly on the health difficulties she faced and added: “Probably the toughest lesson I had to go through was admitting that there’s just been a lot of dramas in my 20s and I didn't want another factor to affect my journey to be the best that I can be, the best in the world.

“Accepting that challenge was rough for me. I just kind of threw my hands up and said enough was enough. Just been so much stuff in my life that I just didn't want to deal with, to be honest. Whether that is sickness, to losing family members, just never ending.

“Now this? Are you kidding me? That's how I felt because it's battle after battle. But it's not something I can't overcome. And that's something that my mom said to me. If anybody can do it, it's you, and she's right. You keep working towards what you want to get to, and you'll always make it out.”

The 30-year-old competed in February’s ground-breaking Aramco Saudi Ladies International in March and will play for a $1million prize fund on the Ladies European Tour this week.

Kang believes Aramco’s investment into the Ladies European Tour is only a good thing for growing women’s golf adding: “I think to show support playing in Saudi Arabia and these events when we have the $1million this week and especially the $5million purse just a few weeks ago is a big statement, and it's because there aren't a lot of, you know, impacts where you can match that purse with the men's purse, that they also play for.

“Showcasing that kind of change and that dramatic statement is important. It's nice to see where we're headed, and sponsors like Aramco showcasing that through their investment in the LET is so important.”

This week’s Aramco Team Series tournament will once again consist of a team and individual event with 26 Captains making their picks at a Draft-style party this evening. Captains have one individual pick, before being allocated a second professional player and a championship amateur player randomly.

Kang refused to be drawn on who her pick would be but was weighing up the option of choosing a young Ladies European Tour player to complement her team and bring youthful exuberance.

She concluded: “Lydia (Ko) won’t tell me who her pick is, and I won’t tell her but maybe I'll just pick a really, really young player and it will be exciting to play!”