Before walking into the greens for the final round in Singapore, Lydia Ko had a dream: “I dreamt last night that I won but then I woke up, and I was like, dang. It’s not real yet.” Happens to all of us. But she actually brought that dream to life. Yes! Last year’s Olympic champion has done it again with the win at HSBC Women’s World Championship. No wonder the star golfer is happy to add this Asian major to her list of major wins. Congratulations are certainly in tow.

And 6-time LPGA winner, Danielle Kang, takes the lead. Kang posted a picture of her hugging the younger golfer with the following caption: “couldn’t be more proud of my baby sis ❤️ @ lydsko.” While Danielle Kang seems happy for her fellow LPGA golfer, it is a little gloomy in her fandom. Why do we say so? Well, if you’re following Kang in any capacity, then you are already aware of the mounting pressure on the 32-year-old golfer.

Think about her 2025 season. She missed the cut at this year’s Founders Cup. Following it was the recently concluded HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore, where she finished at T62. Danielle Kang accepted this disappointing finish with a heartfelt plea, requesting her fans to give her some space to reflect on her performance in privacy.

In her story, she said, “most encouraging things people can say to me right now is, saying absolutely nothing. trust me. I’m doing everything. Just let me figure out how to break 80 on my own with the people I trust, ok? 😘.” Additionally, she thanked HSBC with “thank you @ hsbcwomensgolf for this opportunity. Sorry for playing so bad.” Although fans have placed their hope in Danielle Kang, this isn’t the first time the American golfer had to directly confront her performance.

Last year, Danielle Kang talked about her gameplay. She added, “You play good, you play bad, you play bad, you play good. You play great, you win and then you lose.” Kang’s peak performance in the 2024 season happened to be at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. Here, she finished at 34. Jokingly, then, Kang ended the 2024 season with an Instagram post saying, “Cheers to finally wrapping up the worst season of my career ❤️‍🩹 2025 I’m coming for you 😘.” Fans cheered her on, nonetheless.

While the 2025 season has yet to see her peak performance, fans are eager to see this elite putter back in her form this year. And what a sight that would be. Until that day comes, how does the South Korean descent golfer find peace? Well, by being home.

Danielle Kang finds voice of reason in her family

Kang faced her first heartache in 2013, when her father, K.S. Kang, passed away from cancer. In his tribute, though, she got a tattoo on her right hand and dedicated her first LPGA win to her father. Her brother, Alex Kang, is also a golfer. As for her mother, Grace Lee is the voice of reason when Kang needs it. Take for instance when she revealed she felt angry at having missed out on many important life events like friendships, graduation, and family time.

In reply, her mother suggested she take a break from golf. “If you are not happy, stop playing,” Grace Lee said. Sounds logical? Kang took the advice. However, she came to realize that she loved competing. Not only that, Lee is also known to travel along with her daughter to support her through her tournaments and events.

Despite being a fan of golf, Kang has other hobbies, too. Like wanting tarantula. Golf, for her, though, is art. Spending time with her family? Even better! Last year’s T-Mobile was played in Nevada, a place Kang calls her home. Talking about her family and their presence on the golfing course, she said she was excited to be at home. “…so I’m really happy to be here. It was actually my second week at home, so I’m actually really excited about that.” For Kang, seeing familiar faces and having her family and friends around sounds like a peaceful time. Something that we can relate to, right?

On that note, let’s wish Danielle Kang a good 2025 season.