Lee Jae-a (18), the second daughter of former national soccer player Lee Dong-gook, won a junior golf tournament.
On the 1st, Lee Dong-gook's wife, Lee Su-jin, posted on her social media (SNS) to share the news that her daughter, Lee Jae-a, won the "Bumin Cup Golf Tournament."
Lee said, "After three major surgeries, when she put down tennis and the path she had run for 10 years came to a halt, there was a time like darkness when Jae-a thought everything was over," and added, "She picked up her golf clubs again, found courage, and this time went out to the field and even won."
She continued, "As it nears two years since she first picked up a golf club, Jae-a, who had feared challenges and declined every tournament, took courage this time and went out to the field," and added, "Not a birdie or a trophy, I had hoped she would return to the original Jae-a who dreams big and takes on challenges again, and she won by carding back-to-back birdies on the final 17th and 18th holes. In that moment, tears welled up before I knew it." She added, "This win is not just a result but a starting point for regaining confidence."
Expressing gratitude to coaches, acquaintances, and sponsors, Lee Su-jin said, "With constant gratitude, I humbly record this moment."
From childhood, Jae-a was spotlighted as a promising tennis player, but after repeated injuries and surgeries, she quit tennis and switched to golf.
Married to Lee Su-jin in 2005, Lee Dong-gook has one son and four daughters.