Korean K.J. Choi wins PGA's senior golf tour event

Veteran Choi Kyoung-ju has won a PGA Tour Champions tournament, becoming the first Korean golfer to win a men's professional senior golf tour event. Choi, affectionately known as K.J. Choi, shot a final round of 68, with five birdies and one bogey, for a total of 13-under 203 at the PGA TOUR Champions PURE Insurance Championship held at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California, on Sunday (US time). It is the first victory for a Korean golfer at the PGA Tour Champions, formerly known a

Sept. 27, 2021

S. Korean Im Sung-jae sets PGA Tour record for most birdies in a season

With five birdies in the final round of the 2020-2021 PGA Tour season, South Korean golfer Im Sung-jae has broken a scoring record that stood for 21 years. Im sank a 21-foot putt for a birdie on the second hole during the closing round of the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on Sunday (local time). It was Im's 494th birdie, helping him eclipse the previous record of 493 birdies by Steve Flesch in 2000. The tour began tracking records in 1980. Im finished with

Sept. 6, 2021

[Weekender] Young players breathe new life into golf

Five months after taking up the sport, Kim Arum finds herself more frequently at golf ranges -- real or virtual -- than at restaurants or cafes. She often hangs out with friends on the green, practices almost every other day at an indoor golf studio after work and splurges on golf hats, golf shirts and pants. It has become her favorite pastime these days, said Kim, who works at a TV station in Seoul. While many indoor sports suffered a blow from the virus crisis, this particular one has foun

Aug. 28, 2021

S. Koreans suffer 1st LPGA major shutout in 11 years

File this under "something you don't see very often in sports." South Korean golfers have been shut out at LPGA majors this year, the first time that's happened since 2010. Kim Sei-young ended the AIG Women's Open at Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland in a tie for 13th on Sunday (local time). She was tied for eighth after 54 holes at six-under par but finished her tournament at the same score after an up-and-down 72 in the final round. The country has been a dominant force in women's

Aug. 23, 2021

Kim Sei-young ties for 13th at LPGA season's final major

Kim Sei-young finished tied for 13th at the final major tournament of the 2021 LPGA season in Scotland, leaving South Korea without a major champion for the first time in 11 years. Kim shot an even-par round of 72 at the AIG Women's Open at Carnoustie Golf Links in Carnoustie, Scotland, on Sunday (local time). With a four-round total of six-under 282, Kim ended in 13th place with six others. Anna Nordqvist of Sweden won the championship at 12-under 276. Kim started the final round at six-under

Aug. 23, 2021

Kim Sei-young 3 back of lead after 3 rounds at LPGA season's final major

Kim Sei-young will need some final round magic to capture the last major tournament of the 2021 LPGA season. Kim found herself three strokes off the lead in a tie for eighth place at the AIG Women's Open at Carnoustie Golf Links in Carnoustie, Scotland, on Saturday (local time). The South Korean shot an even-par 72 in the rainy third round, after trading in her four birdies with four bogeys. She entered the third round in third place but is now tied for eighth with six other players at six-und

Aug. 22, 2021

Kim Sei-young tied for 1st round lead at LPGA season's final major

South Korean star Kim Sei-young has a share of the first round lead at the final major of the 2021 LPGA season. Kim shot a five-under 67 to open the AIG Women's Open at Carnoustie Golf Links in Carnoustie, Scotland, on Thursday (local time). She is tied at the top with Nelly Korda of the United States, world No. 1 and Olympic gold medalist, and Madelene Sagstrom of Sweden. Kim, world No. 4, picked up six birdies, including three in a row starting at the par-5 fifth, and had her lone bogey at t

Aug. 20, 2021

LPGA star Park In-bee embracing tough conditions at historic course

Park In-bee likes to be challenged on the golf course. The LPGA Hall of Famer has enough confidence in her game to thrive under difficult conditions where lesser golfers may falter. That approach will certainly come in handy this week in Scotland, where the LPGA Tour holds its fifth and final major tournament of 2021 on a historic links course. Carnoustie Golf Links will host the AIG Women's Open starting Thursday. It has held eight Open Championships on the men's side, and this will be the se

Aug. 18, 2021

S. Koreans trying to end LPGA major drought at Carnoustie

On a historic course in Scotland this week, South Korean LPGA golfers will try to avoid making a wrong kind of history. Long a dominant force in women's golf, South Korea is in danger of being shut out at LPGA major championships for the first time in 11 years. The AIG Women's Open, the fifth and final major of 2021, will tee off at Carnoustie Golf Links in its namesake Scottish town Thursday. The four previous majors were won by four players from four countries. For South Korea, Lee Jeong-eu

Aug. 18, 2021

3 S. Koreans to compete in PGA Tour's annual playoffs starting this week

Three South Korean players will be in action for the annual PGA Tour playoffs starting this week, competing with more than 100 others in a quest for a jackpot in September. Kim Si-woo, Im Sung-jae and Lee Kyoung-hoon have finished 30th, 31st and 34th on the FedEx Cup points rankings, and have qualified for the first leg of the playoffs, the Northern Trust, which will tee off at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey, on Thursday. The top 125 from the FedEx Cup standings will be

Aug. 17, 2021

2 S. Koreans tie for 7th at US Women's Open

Two South Korean golfers have finished tied for seventh at the US Women's Open, as the country failed to produce its third consecutive champion at the oldest major tournament in women's golf. World No. 1 Ko Jin-young and second-ranked Park In-bee both finished the championship at one-over 285 at the Olympic Club in San Francisco on Sunday (local time). Ko shot a two-under 69 in the final round, thanks to three birdies against one bogey. Park, a two-time US Women's Open champion, had a 72 on Sun

June 7, 2021

S. Korean golfers looking to make it 3 in a row at US Women's Open

South Korean female golfers will try to crash the party at the American national championship for the third straight year this week. The US Women's Open, the second major tournament of the LPGA season, will tee off in San Francisco on Thursday, with 20 South Koreans in action. The country has produced the past two champions and three of the last four: Park Sung-hyun (2017), Lee Jeong-eun (2019) and Kim A-lim (2020). The Lake Course at the Olympic Club, the par-71 layout at 6,547 yards, will p

June 2, 2021

Fresh off 1st PGA win, Lee Kyoung-hoon closes in on Olympic berth

With his first career PGA Tour win in the bag, South Korean golfer Lee Kyoung-hoon will be chasing another victory of sorts: a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics in summer. By winning the AT&T Byron Nelson in Texas on Sunday, Lee soared from 137th to 59th in the world rankings. That massive jump made Lee the third-highest ranked South Korean player, behind Im Sung-jae (No. 23) and Kim Si-woo (No. 50). That's an important development because Lee is now in the mix for one of two South Korean spots

May 18, 2021

Lee Kyoung-hoon captures 1st PGA Tour win in Texas

Powered by an early birdie barrage, South Korean Lee Kyoung-hoon has entered the winner's circle for the first time on the PGA Tour. Lee rallied to capture the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, on Sunday (local time), shooting a six-under 66 with eight birdies in the weather-interrupted final round. Lee finished at 25-under 263 at the 7,468-yard, par-72 course, beating Sam Burns by three strokes. It was Lee's 80th career start on the tour. Lee, 29, became the eighth

May 17, 2021

S. Korea's Kim Hyo-joo picks up 4th LPGA win in Singapore

South Korean Kim Hyo-joo earned her fourth LPGA victory in Singapore on Sunday, marking her first LPGA win in over five years. The 26-year-old golfer captured the HSBC Women's World Championship title at 17-under 271 to beat Hannah Green of Australia by one stroke, with an eight-under 64 in the final round at Sentosa Golf Club's New Tanjong Course. She takes home $240,000 in the first-place check. Kim last won an LPGA tournament in 2016 at the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic. Before that, she

May 2, 2021

Park In-bee earns 1st LPGA win of season in California

Park In-bee has added another line to her LPGA Hall of Fame resume. The South Korean veteran collected her first victory of the 2021 season at the Kia Classic in Carlsbad, California, on Sunday (local time). It was also Park's 21st career title. Park had finished second at the tournament three times -- in 2010, 2016 and 2019 -- before finally breaking through with a comfortable, five-stroke win over two Americans, Amy Olson and Lexi Thompson. Park shot a two-under 70 in the final round to fin

March 29, 2021

Why golf outside? Kakao ushers in AI-based swing experience

South Koreans’ love of golf has led to a flourishing culture of indoor golf, played on driving ranges that have been graphically or photographically simulated on screens. Now a gaming company has introduced an artificial intelligence-based service so that golfers can work on their skills at home. On Feb. 25 Kakao Games, the gaming unit of the country’s leading messenger app operator, launched a golf training app that allows newbie golfers to practice and correct their swings in

March 9, 2021

Tiger Woods suffers leg injuries after car rollover

The amazing golf career of Tiger Woods, from two-year-old prodigy to his epic comeback 2019 Masters victory, was in jeopardy Tuesday after injuries suffered in a serious solo car crash, the AFP reported. The 45-year-old American, among the world's most famous athletes for the past quarter-century, underwent surgery for multiple leg injuries following the early morning wreck near Los Angeles, according to the report. It could mean the end of a groundbreaking career that has seen Woods win 15

Feb. 24, 2021

[Newsmaker] Tiger Woods seriously injured in crash on steep LA-area road

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Tiger Woods was seriously injured Tuesday when his SUV crashed into a median, rolled over and ended up on its side on a steep roadway in suburban Los Angeles known for wrecks, authorities said. The golf superstar had to be pulled out through the windshield, and his agent said he was undergoing leg surgery. Woods was alone in the SUV when it crashed into a raised median shortly before 7:15 a.m., crossed two oncoming lanes and rolled several times, authorities said at a n

Feb. 24, 2021

Kim Si-woo captures 3rd PGA Tour victory

Kim Si-woo won the American Express and captured his third PGA Tour title, securing his first victory since 2017. Kim birdied two of the final three holes to card a bogey-free 8-under 64 in the final round to edge out late-storming Patrick Cantlay, who got 11 birdies in the final round alone, by a stroke on Sunday. “My heart was very firm in the last five holes and Patrick kept making birdies,” Kim said in the interview after winning the tournament. “But I was not trying

Jan. 25, 2021