After exploring Se Ri Pak’s influence on the current generation of South Korean golfers on the LPGA Tour, CNN Living Golf and Shane O’Donoghue continue their tour of the country. In the second part of this month’s feature, we examine the reasons why South Korean golfers excel at golf and why they are dominating the LPGA Tour.
Work ethic is certainly one of the reasons as it is a part of the culture but there is also a high standard of local tournaments. The KLPGA (Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association) is responsible for organizing 78 national tournaments throughout the year, with its prize money totaling $20 million. There are three levels of competition for players to progress through and once they are ready to make the leap to the LPGA Tour, these South Korean professionals are more than ready for the big stage.
Because of this country’s love affair with the game of golf, the PGA Tour has announced a new official 2017-18 PGA Tour event in South Korea. In addition, the LPGA Tour also launched its apparel line and its first retail store in the country recently and plans to open 100 stores by 2018. For a sport that is apparently losing its appeal among our population, this certainly doesn’t seem to be the case in South Korea.
Source: CNN Living Golf
