K.B., as she’s called, still is learning the language, but she definitely won’t be learning the lay of the land at Eagle Bend Golf Course this week.

Kyeong Bae, 19, came from behind to notch her first career victory Sunday at the IOS Futures Classic in El Paso, Texas.

The victory, which brought a $9,800 payday, pushed her to the top of the Futures Tour money list, and a recent trip to play Eagle Bend makes her the odds-on favorite to win again this weekend.

Bae recently was in Lawrence for roughly 10 days in order to get in a few practice rounds, and the wide-open course plays well into her favor.

“Eagle Bend is a course where you can just wail on the driver,” said Daniel Brumley, a former Lawrence High golfer who played a few times with Bae while she was in town. “With her being so long and so straight, she’s going to be awesome.”

Brumley gave a rough guess that K.B. can range between 265-270 yards off the tee, but that’s only the start of her well-rounded game.

“She has a great putting stroke, and it’s probably the best I’ve seen,” he said. “She’s a good iron player, and controls her wedges really well.”

The fruits of these strengths can be seen simply in her numbers.

Chris McCalmont, caddy for LPGA Futures Tour player Virada Nirapathpongporn paces off yardage at Eagle Bend Golf Course.

Though the first victory of her short pro came just two days ago, she has had the Tour’s attention by consistently lurking around the top of the leaderboard.

Last year, in her rookie season on tour, Bae had seven top-10 finishes and made the cut in all but one of the 18 tournaments she played. She finished second twice, and wound up eighth on the money list.

Bae was solid overseas, as well, before coming to America for the 2004 season. She was a three-time champion at the Korean Open, and finished sixth on the money list in 2003 on the Korean LPGA.

Her early successes should come as no surprise because she has a solid athletic pedigree. Her father, Chan Soo Bae, who also doubles as her caddie, played professional soccer for European power Real Madrid. Her mother was a world-class tennis table competitor.

McCalmont takes measurements Monday in preparation of this week's Lawrence Futures Classic.

The Seoul, Korea, native is keeping up the pace this season. She ranks first on the Futures Tour in sub-par rounds, having done so eight out of 12 times. She’s also third in scoring average, fourth in sub-par holes, first in par-3 average and fourth in putting average.

Brumley hit the links with Bae three times, and recalls her scoring 2-under par in their 18-hole round, and 1-under par in each of their nine-hole excursions.

“She’s pretty quiet, but she has a really good personality,” he said. “It was the most fun I’ve had playing golf in several years. I haven’t played with a woman who was extremely good like she was.

“She beat me a couple of times out, so that was a first for me.”

Eagle Bend will be closed to the public from Wednesday through Sunday. More practice rounds and a youth clinic are Wednesday with pro-ams on tap Thursday. The Lawrence Futures Classic will take place Friday through Sunday.