The Quiet Inspiration that is Annie Park

We're Talking Golf

After a glittering career at USC and in her Rookie year of professional golf, Annie Park graduated to the LPGA looking to build on her success. She won 4 - times in her freshman year, including the NCAA Div I Individual Championship while leading her USC Trojans to the NCAA National Title,. In her first year as a professional, she won 3-times on the Symetra Tour, earning Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year all while finishing the year as the top player.
That's when adversity struck -- Annie was eventually diagnosed with a form of thyroid cancer, leading to the removal of her thyroid gland and a lifelong regimen of medication. If that wasn't enough to contend with, then, it was a persistent and nagging back injury that nearly sidelined her career before it even really started.
With her characteristic understatement, stoicism, and grace, Annie Park shares her story on how she went from NCAA Division 1 star to nearly quitting golf entirely. A timely intervention from her sister and another friend helped her reassess her life on the course and off. Faced with having lost her card on tour, Annie had to "Monday qualify" for LPGA events, eventually resulting in her first LPGA win (2018 ShopRite LPGA Classic) and representing her country at the Solheim Cup (2019 Gleneagles).
Join us in this episode as we explore Annie's career in golf and the lifelong lessons that she has drawn from the sport.

Chapters

1. Introduction of Annie Park (00:02:05)

2. Annie on 2020 - 21 Seasons and Covid (00:04:26)

3. Fishing in the Atlantic (00:07:45)

4. Finding Balance in Life -- On and Off the Golf Course (00:12:07)

5. Pressure of the 2021 Season and Losing her Tour Status (00:16:52)

6. Putter Changes (00:18:02)

7. USC Trojans, Individual Champion & National Champions (00:21:40)

8. Curtis Cup Team & Future LPGA Players (00:27:17)

9. Thyroid Cancer (00:28:43)

10. Symetra Tour, Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year & Automatic Qualifying to the LPGA (00:29:50)

11. Back Injury and contemplating retiring from the LPGA, (00:34:00)

12. 2018 ShopRite LPGA Classic & Rejuvenated Career (00:37:28)

13. Sister Becomes an Instagram Star (00:38:00)

14. Recovering from Back Injury - Routines & Focus (00:39:03)

15. 2019 U.S. Solheim Cup Team - Fulfilling a Dream (00:45:41)

16. Solheim Cup Parties - Are they really that wild? (00:51:24)

17. Annie's Funniest or Embarrassing Moments on the Golf Course (00:53:37)

18. Annie's Tips on Handling Life on Tour (00:55:50)

19. Favourite Players & Players that Intimidate (00:57:32)

20. Tips to Junior Players & Parents (01:01:18)

21. 2022 and Annie's Goals & Schedule (01:04:03)