Kang returns to competition with a new attitude

Danielle Kang hung around the leaderboard for three days at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open last week before falling back into a tie for 17th on Sunday.

It was a performance nothing short of remarkable by the Las Vegas golfer, coming nearly three months since she stepped away from the LPGA Tour to deal with a serious medical condition that had limited her ability to play — or play without pain — for much of the year.

Kang was diagnosed with a tumor on her spine in the spring and would have stepped away earlier, but she gutted out the LPGA Match Play at her home course, Shadow Creek, in late May and the U.S. Women’s Open the first week in June. By then, it was time to shut golf down, focus on her health and surround herself with a small team of friends, family and medical experts until she could return.

It wasn’t an easy process.

“All of the people that I worked with were absolutely incredible,” Kang said. “There are times I walked in just crying, times I couldn’t move.”

But little by little, Kang got better and eventually she started practicing again. Some days, she’d hit only a handful of shots and call it a day. Other days, she could do more. She refused to push herself and risk setbacks.

“I’m super thankful for my medical team and everybody that worked with me in Vegas that guided me through it, especially my family and friends,” she said. “It’s been a tough few months.”

The medical details Kang is keeping to herself. The lessons learned during her absence from golf, however, she’s happy to share, including lessons about keeping the game in its place.

“My mom always says be happy,” she said. “No matter how much money you have, success you have, and what’s the next tournament to play, all in all you just have to be happy and healthy.

“It’s that simple. I think that’s what I learned. Funny enough, while I was away, I reached that blissfulness where I just felt healthy and happy.”

During her 10 years on tour, Kang has always been one of the most intense players. Her competitive fire is palpable. But the medical scare has given her a new perspective, she says.

“I’ve been so intense and desperate to play golf, and I love the game,” she said. “But I don’t really need to be that desperate. I think that’s the difference from back then and now. I’m excited to compete. I will always be a competitor, but I don’t feel like wanting that desperately. I think that’s what’s gone.”

Her recent experience has also made her more efficient in her practice sessions, doing more in less time on the course and stressing quality over quantity. She is focused on getting done what she can in a specific time frame rather than pounding balls on the driving range for hours at a time.

She’s also getting better about warming up properly, something every golfer learns as they get older.

“You know, I used to just wake up and just roll out of bed and swing a driver,” she said. “I can’t do that anymore. I got to do this whole full warmup thing and make sure my hips are activated, stretched.”

She will also be more conscious of her schedule, not playing too many weeks in a row even if it means skipping events she loves to play.

“I’ve been able to readjust the way I approach golf a bit differently, and I kind of like it better,” she said of her practice routines and scheduling process. “With that, I’m pretty good to go.”

Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at grobertson@reviewjournal.com.