MENLO PARK, Calif. – Natasha Andrea Orne arrived at the LPGA press room Tuesday like a breath of fresh air. At the Fortinet Founders Cup, Ornn exemplified what the 13 Founders understood all too well: the need to entertain.
The bubbly and charming Orn made a statement after waiting two years to make his LPGA rookie debut in the Bay Area, near his home. The former San Jose State University player caused a stir in the media room at Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club earlier in the week, but the buzz only grew as Ohn became a highlight inside the ropes as well.
Learn more about the LPGA rookie who took the tour by storm:
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Hall of Famer in her corner
Ng, 24, who was named the 2022 Mountain West Player of the Year, was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, raised in Malaysia, and graduated from high school at age 16. She then graduated from San Jose State University in just three years, winning Workday’s Juli Inkster Award, given to the highest-ranking college athlete, in her final year of eligibility. Inkster also graduated from San Jose State University and lives in the Bay Area. She and her husband Brian both took Ornn under his wing.
“She has a lot of talent,” Inkster said. “Brian has helped her a lot on and off the golf course, and I’ve helped her as well.
“But she holds a special place in Inkster’s heart. Our dog Lucy loves her. I’m just looking forward to her starting her journey. I think she’s going to grow and develop and develop and become a great athlete.”
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Get your LPGA card
Natasha Andrea Ng of Malaysia, Auston Kim of the United States, Isabella Fierro of Mexico and Australia’s pose after the LPGA Card Ceremony after the final round of the Epson Tour Championship at LPGA International Gabriela Ruffels, Roberta Liti from Italy, Min-Ji Kang from South Korea, Kristen Gilman from the US, Jenny Coleman from the US, Jiwon Chung from South Korea, Agathe Reine from France on October 8, 2023 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
After four runner-up finishes in his rookie season on the Epson Tour in 2023, Orne broke through with his first win at the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout. She posted eight top-10 finishes in 19 matches to earn her LPGA card for the 2024 season, placing her second on the tour money list behind Gabi Ruffels.
She was also named Epson Tour Rookie of the Year.
2 year wait
Only her LPGA rookie year didn’t start as planned. Ohn missed the 2024 and 2025 LPGA seasons due to a nightmarish foot injury.
“I had a sesamoid stress fracture,” Oon explained. “Everyone says, ‘What’s a sesamoid?’ When they told me that, I said that too. It’s a bone in my right foot that was stressed because I kept rotating around it.
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“First I was diagnosed with turf toe, then I had a plantar plate tear. I know the medical terminology now. I wish I didn’t, but I do. Yeah, I had a tear and I was under stress.”
After a lot of physical therapy didn’t help, Orne finally decided to undergo surgery to remove the bone.
“So at parties I say I don’t have enough bones in my body, but afterwards it’s really funny,” she said with a laugh.
It took time to rehabilitate and regain my strength.
Ohn admitted that it was difficult to watch the LPGA live at the time. She picked up a board game, sang karaoke at a bar, and went hiking in Yosemite to test her legs.
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“It was difficult to be on the green for more than 20 minutes during my rehab,” Orn said. “I thought, “What should I do? How should I practice? I’m missing everything, whereas before I was making everything.
“My past bothered me so much because you were so great. Now you’re here. It was a choice I made.”
Debut week on SportsCenter
After playing in a few Epson Tour events to warm up in 2026, Orn got off to a shaky start in Round 1 at Founders, hitting a quad on the par-4 second hole. She fought back for an even-par 72, but then things heated up.
Orn put together what golf fans call a “psycho scorecard” with just four pars all day. A double, five bogeys, seven birdies and a hole-out eagle on the 16th ended with her dramatically falling to the ground, but it was enough to earn her a spot in SportsCenter’s Top 10 on Friday night.
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A second round 70 earned him a weekend tee time.
“I cried. If no one noticed, I cried a lot, and a lot of people were like, what’s wrong? I felt like you guys did really well. I’m crying tears of joy because I’m back after a long time and I’m feeling all the emotions,” Ong said.
“When I hit that hole out, it wasn’t even about the hole out, I heard the crowd cheering and it felt like everyone was laughing and having a good time.
“It was very emotional. I felt like I was playing in the FIFA World Cup and I scored the goal. It was really cool. Just doing it in front of the marquee, I love this. This is so cool. I love being a performer and getting to know everyone and getting these questions and performing.”
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Another day, another hole out
On Saturday, Orn did it again, this time holed out from 90 yards on the par-4 third hole. He added four bogeys, one double, and five birdies to finish the third round with a 71.
“To be honest, it was definitely a little frustrating,” Ornn said. “I said golf was fun, but today I felt like I might be a liar.”
Orne shot a 75 on Sunday to sit near the bottom of the pack, but there’s still a lot to celebrate considering how long she’s waited to get noticed on this tour.
Ornn arrives, and there is no one else like her on tour.
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This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Meet Natasha Andrea Orne, the LPGA rookie everyone is talking about
