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Jang confirmed at a news conference in Seoul that she was
rescinding her membership of the U.S. LPGA Tour and would return
to play on the domestic Korean women's circuit this season.
The 25-year-old, who has had four wins on the U.S.-based circuit
since her 2015 rookie season and earned more than $2.6 million
in prize money, said being closer to her mother was the prime
reason for her decision.
"I thought being world number one was the only goal in my life
and that was where my happiness comes from," she said. "But I
realized there are many more important things than that.
"Even though I won four times (on the LPGA Tour) I still felt
empty inside. I made this decision because being with my family
is more important to me than being the world's top golfer."
Jang, who registered eight wins on the Korean Tour (KLPGA) and
was the leading money winner in 2013, has had a tough year off
the course.
She hit the headlines in March last year when a bag being
carried by her father came crashing down an escalator at
Singapore's Changi Airport and slammed into South Korean rival
Chun In-gee, forcing her to miss the LPGA's HSBC Women's
Champions tournament.
Adding insult to injury for Chun and her fans, Jang won the
tournament in Singapore and celebrated with a memorable
'Beyonce-style' dance, prompting a firestorm of criticism from
Korean media.
The controversy lingered from weeks, with Jang reduced to tears
at subsequent media conferences, and it took the South Korean
another four months before she recorded a top-10 finish.
Jang said the incident and its aftermath played no part in her
decision to cut short her career in the United States.
"That's not why I decided to come back," she said. "I've already
spoken to Chun In-gee a lot about that incident. The reason I've
decided to come back is that I've found something more precious
than golf."
While the U.S Tour offers the biggest prize funds in women's
golf, Jang will have plenty of opportunities to earn good money
in South Korea's domestic tour.
The Korean Tour, which has been making efforts to stem the
annual exodus of top players to the LPGA, features more than 30
events and offers more than $20 million in total prize money
this year.
(Reporting by Yuna Park; Writing by Peter Rutherford; Editing by
John O'Brien)
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