Jessica Bang, 18, dies after brain haemorrhage
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- Jessica Bang, an 18-year-old Australian golfer, died after suffering a brain haemorrhage while preparing for a tournament in Thailand on 1 August.
- Bang collapsed before the event and was rushed to a hospital in Bangkok, where she underwent emergency brain surgery and spent nearly two weeks in intensive care before dying on Thursday.
- The WPGA Tour of Australasia called Bang an "outstanding young talent" and said the thoughts and prayers of the broader Australian golf community are with her family and friends.
- Bang turned professional at the end of 2025 and won her first professional event in just her fifth start earlier this year, qualifying for her rookie WPGA season last November.
- In February, she shot a final-round 65 to win a regional qualifying event and reach the NWS Women's Open on the Ladies European Tour, where she missed the cut.
- A GoFundMe page set up by Bang's cousins after her collapse raised funds to help her parents cover medical expenses, with family members writing they were "truly heartbroken."
Why it matters: At 18 and barely five months into her professional career, Bang's death cuts short one of Australian women's golf's most promising trajectories — a player who had already broken through with a first pro win and earned a Ladies European Tour start. The WPGA Tour of Australasia loses a rookie it had publicly championed, and her family faces ongoing medical costs that a GoFundMe was set up to address.
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