HONOULU – University of Hawai'i women's golf head coach
Stephen Bidne announced four new Rainbow Wahine for the 2021-22 season with the signing of Hyeonji Kang of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tin-Yu Liu of New Taipei City, Taiwan, Momo Sugiyama of Gold Coast, Australia, and Mayumi Umezu of Waimea, Hawai'i.
Kang, who is of Korean decent, attends Al Mawakeb School in Dubai. Among her many accomplishments include winning the 2019 Singha Thailand Amateur Open, which is one of the premier amateur junior events in Asia. She is a two-time EGF Order of Merit Champion, and in 2019 she shot consecutive rounds of 66 to claim the title. Over the 2018 and 2019 seasons, she also has three runner-up finishes, a third place, and a 10
th place finish.
"Hyeonji is an extremely special player whom I've been following the last few years," Bidne said. "Her junior golf resume is very impressive. She has consistently shown that she has the raw ability to go low and has shot in the mid 60s on several occasions. On top of her impressive golf game, Hyeonji has a great attitude and work ethic. We are so thrilled she has chosen to play for us at UH, and we can't wait for her to join our 'ohana next fall."
Liu has competed in multiple professional tournaments as an amateur in her native Taiwan, where she attends Heping High School. She won the 2019 Super Lychee Amateur and also finished runner-up in the North Region that year. Her low tournament round is 69.
"I'm thrilled that Ting will be joining our 'ohana next fall," Bidne said. "She is a highly decorated player who has a great deal of experience of playing golf on some of the highest levels. She is one of the hardest workers I have ever recruited and is one who truly puts in a lot of hours in practice, the weight room and focusing on her studies. Her swing mechanics are one of the best I've witnessed, and I'm certain that she will put a positive mark on our program starting next fall."
Sugiyama, who attends All Saints Anglican School, is a heralded recruit from Australia, where she captured the South Australian Junior Masters title in 2019, one of three tournaments wins during that season. She also won the Alice Springs Junior Open with a new tournament record. Since 2017, Sugiyama earned medalist honors eight times. She was a member of the Queensland State team in 2019 and was a Gold Coast Representative team member in 2017 and 2018, the latter of which she was selected to the All-Australian Merit Team.
"We are so excited that Momo chose to attend UH," Bidne said. "Momo was a highly recruited junior golfer whom I've had the privilege to watch multiple times. She has tremendous golf fundamentals and is one of the most accurate ball strikers I have seen. Her wealth of International tournament experience at a very high level combined with her contagious positive hard working personality, will help make her transition to collegiate golf seamless. I know she will have a great four-year career here in Hawai'i."
Originally from Waimea, Hawai'i, Umezu currently attends Club Med Academies in Port St. Lucie, Fla. She was recruited by numerous other programs including Ohio State, Rutgers, Yale, and Cal State Fullerton. Over the last two seasons, she has 14 Top 10 finishes including a runner-up finish at the Florida State Girls Junior Amateur in 2019. Her low tournament round is 66 and her 2020 scoring average is 74.
"We are so excited that Mayumi has decided to return home to the state of Hawai'i and join our Rainbow Wahine Golf 'ohana next fall," Bidne said. "She has had tremendous success on the junior golf level, and has posted numerous top-10 finishes in some really deep events. She has wonderful golf fundamentals, which is evident when you watch her play. Her tremendous work ethic both on and off the golf course makes me certain that she will come in right away and help our program succeed. Welcome home Mayumi!"
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