Australian golfer Jessica Bang dies at 18 after brain haemorrhage in Thailand
Australian golfer Jessica Bang has died at the age of 18 after suffering a brain haemorrhage while preparing for a tournament in Thailand. Her family confirmed her passing on 13 August (LiveMint).
Bang collapsed on 1 August and was rushed to Synphat hospital in Bangkok, where she underwent emergency brain surgery. She was placed on life support and spent nearly two weeks in intensive care before dying on Thursday, 13 August (BBC Sport; Australian Golf Digest).
Born in South Korea and raised in Australia, Bang turned professional at the end of 2025. She won her first professional event in just her fifth start, a breakthrough that came at the 2026 Ford Women's NSW Open Regional Qualifying Event at Moss Vale in February. That week she shot a final-round 65 — a five-under-par score over 18 holes — to secure her place in the NSW Women's Open on the Ladies European Tour, where she missed the cut (the score that determines who plays the weekend). She had also won the Queensland Amateur in 2025 (BBC Sport; Golf Australia).
The WPGA Tour of Australasia described Bang as an outstanding young talent and issued a statement on her death. Her cousins set up a GoFundMe page after her collapse, with funds to be given to her parents to help with medical expenses (BBC Sport).
A professional career that had barely started — five starts, one win, a trip to a Ladies European Tour event — ended thirteen days after she collapsed on the other side of the world from where she grew up. The golf community in Australia and beyond paid tribute across social media as news spread.
