S. Korean Kim Si-woo earns 3rd career PGA Tour title

South Korean Kim Si-woo has captured his third career PGA Tour title, ending a drought that had lasted nearly four years. Kim won the American Express by a stroke over Patrick Cantlay of the United States at 23-under 265 on the Stadium Course at PGA West in La Quinta, California, on Sunday (local time). The 25-year-old Korean carded a bogey-free final round of eight-under 64 to hold off Cantlay, who fired a blistering round of 11-under 61. Kim's previous victory had come at The Players Champio

Jan. 25, 2021

LPGA star Ko Jin-young goes wire-to-wire at top of world rankings

South Korean LPGA star Ko Jin-young will finish the year where she started in the women's golf rankings: at the very top. Ko stayed at No. 1 in the final rankings of 2020 released Tuesday. She climbed to No. 1 in July 2019 and was also at the top in the first rankings this year on Jan. 7.Ko, the 2019 LPGA Player of the Year, played only four tournaments this season, which was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. But the 25-year-old made the most of the opportunity, as she won the season-endin

Dec. 29, 2020

Ko Jin-young captures LPGA season finale, 2nd straight money title

World No. 1 Ko Jin-young has won the LPGA season finale in Florida, capping off a truncated campaign in come-from-behind fashion against a rival countrywoman. Ko won the CME Group Tour Championship by five strokes over world No. 2 Kim Sei-young and Hannah Green of Australia in Naples, Florida, on Sunday (local time). Ko shot a six-under 66 at Tiburon Golf Club for a four-round total of 18-under 270. By earning $1.1 million in her first victory of 2020, Ko won her second consecutive money title

Dec. 21, 2020

S. Korean golfer Kim A-lim wins US Women's Open

South Korean professional golfer Kim A-lim on Monday won the Women's US Open in her debut in the major. The 25-year-old shot a 4-under par 67 in the final round to win the 75th US Women's Open at the Champions Golf Club in Houston. Kim shot a four-round total of 3-under 281 to win the title by one stroke. "I'm very honored to win the 75th US Women's Open. Still can't really soak in that I'm the champion, but it feels different winning the tournament here," she said in a post-match p

Dec. 15, 2020

Amid retirement speculation, Ryu So-yeon set for belated LPGA season debut

Though she only turned 30 this year, LPGA golfer Ryu So-yeon has been fielding questions about retirement. Considering that Ryu has yet to play on the LPGA Tour this year -- the South Korean star will make her season debut this week in Texas -- and that she chose to stay home even after the US competition resumed, perhaps questions about Ryu's future were understandable. Ryu said Thursday she wasn't thinking about quitting the sport during her time away from LPGA; rather, she only wanted an ex

Dec. 3, 2020

World No. 1 in women's golf has 'no regrets' over missing 3 LPGA majors

ICHEON -- South Korean LPGA star Ko Jin-young has managed to stay at the top of the world rankings despite skipping all three major championships so far in the coronavirus-interrupted season. The two-time major winner says, though, she doesn't regret her decision to stay home during the pandemic and not play in those big events. "Given that health and safety are the most important things, this was an unavoidable choice," Ko said Thursday before her first round at the KB Financial Gro

Oct. 15, 2020

S. Korean Im Sung-jae eyeing top-5 finish at relocated PGA tournament

Im Sung-jae has been the biggest South Korean name on the PGA Tour for the past couple of years, but he hasn't played like one in the tour's only event held on his home soil during that time. Now that the tournament, the CJ Cup, has been relocated to the United States for this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, perhaps the pressure to deliver in front of home fans will be off the shoulders of the 22-year-old. The fourth edition of the CJ Cup will start at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Veg

Oct. 14, 2020

S. Korean Kim Sei-young captures 1st career LPGA major title

With a ruthlessly dominant performance, South Korean LPGA star Kim Sei-young has finally broken through with her maiden major title. Kim captured the KPMG Women's PGA Championship by five strokes Sunday (local time) at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, for her 11th career title and first at one of LPGA's five major tournaments. Kim, world No. 7, carded a bogey-free round of seven-under 63 in the final round at the par-70, 6,577-yard track, for a four-round total of 14-under

Oct. 12, 2020

Surprise LPGA major champion working on long game in pursuit of 2nd big win

South Korean LPGA player Lee Mi-rim chipped and putted her way to a stunning major title last month, and ahead of another major tournament this week, she has been working on her long game. Lee is entering the KPGA Women's PGA Championship, set to open at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on Thursday (local time), as a player to watch. She won the ANA Inspiration in a playoff last month for her first career LPGA major title, and she chipped in for two birdies and an eagle in

Oct. 7, 2020

'Nervous' Park Sung-hyun among dozen S. Koreans in field for LPGA season's 2nd major

World No. 4 Park Sung-hyun will headline a contingent of 12 South Korean players at the second major championship of the 2020 LPGA season this week. Park will make her season debut at the ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, starting Thursday. She will tee off with Nasa Hataoka at 1:18 p.m. Thursday local time, or 5:18 a.m. Friday in Seoul. The 2020 season began in January with two tournaments in Florida. The tour moved to Australia for two more events,

Sept. 9, 2020

Im Sung-jae barely misses top 10 in PGA Tour season finale

South Korean youngster Im Sung-jae has wrapped up his second PGA Tour season with an up-and-down round. Im shot an even-par 70 for a four-round total of 10-under 274 at the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on Sunday (local time). He had been in second place halfway through the tournament before fading away over the final two rounds with 72-70. Im recorded six birdies against four bogeys and a double bogey Sunday. He started the round in sixth place and came up just a strok

Sept. 8, 2020

World No. 1 Ko Jin-young decides not to defend LPGA major title in California

Citing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, Ko Jin-young, the world No. 1 in women's golf from South Korea, has decided not to defend an LPGA major championship in California this month. SEMA Sports Marketing, Ko's Seoul-based agency, announced Friday that Ko will not compete at the ANA Inspiration, which opens Sept. 10 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. The tournament is usually held in late March or early April but has been pushed back this year because of the CO

Sept. 4, 2020

S. Korea's Kim nearly makes two aces in grabbing PGA lead

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- South Korea's Kim Si-woo aced one hole and lipped out on another hole-in-one bid Saturday on his way to grabbing a two-stroke lead at the US PGA Wyndham Championship. Sparkling on the same course where he won his first PGA title four years ago, Kim fired an eight-under par 62 to stand on 18-under 192 after 54 holes at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina. Americans Rob Oppenheim, who shot 62, and Doc Redman, who fired a 63, shared second on 194 in search of

Aug. 16, 2020

S. Korean women's golf tour cancels 3 tournaments as sponsors pull out

In cruise control since resuming its season in May during the coronavirus pandemic, the South Korean women's golf tour has canceled three tournaments set for August and September. The Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) announced Wednesday the scrapped tournaments are: the HighOne Resort Ladies Open (Aug. 20-23), the Hanwha Classic (Aug. 27-30) and the All for You Renoma Championship (Sept. 10-13). Of the three, the Hanwha Classic is a major tournament. The KLPGA said title co

July 29, 2020

Golfer banned for flipping off fans granted pardon, set for Aug. return

Kim Bi-o, a South Korean golfer initially banned for a year for making an obscene gesture toward fans at a domestic men's golf tournament last year, has been granted a special pardon and will be eligible to return next month. The Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) announced Monday that Kim will be reinstated before the end of his one-year suspension, which began last October. He'll be able to enter the Korean Tour's GS Caltex Maekyung Open, which begins on Aug. 21. In a statement,

July 27, 2020

KLPGA practice round canceled after recent visitor tests positive for coronavirus

An official practice round for a South Korean women's golf tournament was canceled on Wednesday after the event organizers learned that a recent visitor to the competition venue tested positive for the novel coronavirus, though the actual tournament will begin as scheduled on Thursday. The Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour announced on Wednesday that the practice round for the BC Card Hankyung Ladies Cup at the Fortune Hills Country Club in Pocheon, some 45 kilometers nor

June 24, 2020

LPGA stars set to compete at 2nd major of S. Korean tour

The second major championship of the South Korean women's golf tour is scheduled for this week, with the leaderboard come Sunday likely to resemble that from an LPGA event. World No. 1 Ko Jin-young is one of a handful of LPGA stars who will take the field at the 34th Kia Motors Korea Women's Open Golf Championship, which will run from Thursday to Sunday at Bears Best Cheongna Golf Club in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul. It's the second major of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Associat

June 17, 2020

S. Korean Im Sung-jae becomes top-ranked Asian man in world golf rankings

South Korean golfer Im Sung-jae is now the highest-ranked Asian player on the men's world rankings. Im climbed two spots to reach a career-high No. 21 on the latest rankings released Monday. The rise came on the heels of Im's third consecutive top-10 finish on the PGA Tour at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Forth Worth, Texas. It was the first PGA tournament following a three-month pause caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Rankings had been frozen during the tour's hiatus. Im has jumped past

June 16, 2020

World No. 1 in women's golf commits to S. Korean major

Ko Jin-young, world No. 1 in women's golf, will play in a South Korean major championship next week. The organizers of the 34th Kia Motors Korea Women's Open Golf Championship announced Tuesday that Ko has committed to the second major tournament of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) season. It will run from June 18-21 at Bears Best Cheongna Golf Club in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul. With the US LPGA Tour grounded during the coronavirus pandemic, Ko made her 2020 d

June 9, 2020

LPGA stars split winnings in charity skins game

South Korean LPGA stars Ko Jin-young and Park Sung-hyun split the prize money in their charity skins game Sunday. World No. 1 Ko and the third-ranked Park each claimed 50 million won ($40,300) in the skins game organized by Hyundai Card at Sky 72 Golf & Resort in Incheon, just west of Seoul. The winnings will be donated to charities of the players' choices. Ko made a lengthy birdie putt at the 18th hole to win 10 million won at stake there and pull even with Park. Before the match, the tw

May 24, 2020