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18-Year-Old Golfer Jessica Bang Dies in Bangkok

8/14/2026

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Summary

Jessica Bang Dies

Australian golfer Jessica Bang (18) died in Bangkok after collapsing on Aug. 1 and undergoing brain surgery.
The WPGA Tour of Australasia said the Australian golf community is saddened by her passing.
Bang was in Thailand preparing for the International Qualifying Tournament for the Korean women’s tour.
She qualified for the WPGA Tour of Australasia and won a February event with an eight-under 65, setting a Moss Vale course record.

Summary

Cousins Raise Funds

A GoFundMe campaign raised nearly $36,000 AUD for Jessica Bang’s family after her death.
Her cousins launched the appeal to fund emergency brain surgery and her return to Australia.
Donations were earmarked for medical costs incurred at Synphat Ramintra Hospital in Bangkok.
The fundraiser highlighted family links in Sydney and South Korea, drawing support from the Australian golf community.

History

Historical Context

In May 2010, Brad Damphousse and Andrew Ballester launched GoFundMe, which has since raised more than $30 billion worldwide. The platform’s growth parallels the WPGA Tour of Australasia’s expansion to 12,000 registered players by 2022. Today, a GoFundMe campaign for WPGA player Jessica Bang has collected almost AU$36,000, illustrating how crowdfunding now supplements traditional support for touring golfers.

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Jessica Bang Dies

Australian golfer Jessica Bang (18) died in Bangkok after collapsing on Aug. 1 and undergoing brain surgery.
The WPGA Tour of Australasia said the Australian golf community is saddened by her passing.
Bang was in Thailand preparing for the International Qualifying Tournament for the Korean women’s tour.
She qualified for the WPGA Tour of Australasia and won a February event with an eight-under 65, setting a Moss Vale course record.

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