Jessica Bang, an 18-year-old professional golfer, died Thursday at a hospital in Bangkok after suffering a brain hemorrhage nearly two weeks earlier while preparing for a tournament in Thailand.
Ms. Bang collapsed in Bangkok on Aug. 1 ahead of the KLPGA Tour’s International Qualifying Tournament and was rushed to Synphaet Ramintra Hospital, where she underwent emergency brain surgery and was placed on life support. She did not recover, and her family confirmed her death Thursday, according to Al Jazeera.
Ms. Bang was born in South Korea. According to Australian Golf Digest, which cited comments from her uncle, Jacob Kang, she had recently become an Australian citizen — a change that complicated her residency and travel-insurance situation.
“When she turned 18, she chose Australian citizenship,” Mr. Kang said, according to the outlet, adding that the shift left her medical bills a mounting burden on the family.
Ms. Bang’s cousins launched a fundraiser to help cover her medical expenses and the cost of transporting her back to Australia, which would have required a specially equipped aircraft with intensive care facilities.
“We are truly heartbroken by this news,” the family said in the fundraiser, adding that they wanted to celebrate Ms. Bang’s “achievements, passion, and dedication to golf.”
The WPGA Tour of Australasia, which counted Ms. Bang among its rookie professionals, mourned her death in a statement calling her “an outstanding young talent” who turned professional at the end of 2025 after a standout amateur career in New South Wales.
Ms. Bang broke through in just her fifth start as a professional, carding a final-round 65 in February to win the Ford Women’s NSW Open Regional Qualifying Event at Moss Vale by five strokes, setting a course record while finishing 13-under par.
She had traveled to Bangkok chasing the next step in her career: a spot in the KLPGA Tour’s International Qualifying Tournament for South Korea’s top women’s circuit.
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