[Graphic News] S. Korean players combine for 5 wins in LPGA

Amy Yang’s win at the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida, Nov. 19, gave a combined total of five victories won by South Koreans in the LPGA in 2023. However, for the second time in three seasons, South Koreans have failed to produce a major champion in women’s golf, as the post-COVID downward trend continued. As recently as 2019, South Korea had eight players combine for 15 wins. Even during the pandemic-interrupted 2020 season, cut short to just 18 tournaments, South Kor

Dec. 8, 2023

6 S. Koreans earn LPGA membership for 2024

Five-time South Korean tour winner Lee So-mi will be an LPGA Tour rookie in 2024. Lee finished tied for second at the six-round LPGA Q-Series, the annual qualifying tournament for the top women's competition, at 26-under 404 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Alabama, on Wednesday (local time). Those finishing inside the top 45 and ties earned their LPGA cards for 2024, with the players inside the top 20 and ties able to enter most of the tournaments. The rest, fr

Dec. 7, 2023

S. Korean Lee So-mi on verge of winning LPGA qualifying tournament

A five-time Korean tour winner Lee So-mi is closing in on the top prize at the LPGA Tour qualifying tournament in Alabama. Lee shot a nine-under 63 in the fifth and penultimate round of the LPGA Q-Series at Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Alabama, on Tuesday (local time). Following the bogey-free round that matched the Q-Series course record, Lee leads Robyn Choi of Australia by two strokes at 27-under heading into Wednesday's finale. Players finishing inside the

Dec. 6, 2023

Tiger Woods cards 71 in Hero World Challenge

Tiger Woods stumbled out of the gate before finding his footing with four of his five birdies on the front nine to finish 1-under-par 71 after the third round of the Hero World Challenge on Saturday. He's tied for 16th in the 20-man field at even par. Woods said the "touch and feels" of his short game are the most difficult to get back so far. "But when you're chipping off Bermuda like this, and this is probably one of the hardest golf courses we face all year round to

Dec. 3, 2023

KPGA stars looking to make Saudi-backed LIV Golf

Ham Jeong-woo, the 2023 Player of the Year on the KPGA Korean Tour, will be among eight South Korean golfers teeing off at a qualifying tournament for a Saudi Arabia-backed renegade circuit this month. LIV Golf, financed by the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, announced the field for the inaugural LIV Golf Promotions on Thursday. It said over 70 players representing 23 countries will compete at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in Abu Dhabi from Dec. 8-10, with the top three

Dec. 1, 2023

Latest LPGA winner Amy Yang reaches No. 15 in world rankings

South Korean golfer Amy Yang has reached a year-high 15th in the world rankings on the strength of her victory in the LPGA Tour season finale on the weekend. Yang jumped 21 spots to No. 15 in the latest rankings released Tuesday. The 34-year-old won the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida, on Sunday for her fifth career title and first since February 2019. It was also Yang's first win in America; she had previously won once in South Korea and three times in Thailand. Yang, whose

Nov. 21, 2023

[Graphic News] South Korean LPGA Rookies of the Year

South Korean Ryu Hae-ran has clinched the LPGA Rookie of the Year award with one tournament left this season. Since the rise of superstar Pak Se-ri more than two decades ago, Korean female golfers have become an international force to be reckoned with in women’s professional golf tournaments. This trend has been marked by a consistent stream of LPGA Rookie of the Year awards going to Korean women every few years. Fourteen of the past 26 rookies of the year (including this year’s) hav

Nov. 17, 2023

Australian LPGA star Minjee Lee eyes No. 1 ranking after winning in S. Korea

After reaching a mini career milestone in her LPGA Tour career Sunday in South Korea, Australian star Minjee Lee set her sights on an even bigger target. "I still haven't been able to reach world No. 1 yet. That's the goal for me. That's where I really want to reach," Lee said after beating Alison Lee of the United States in a playoff to win the BMW Ladies Championship in Paju, northwest of Seoul. It was Minjee's first win in South Korea, the country of her parents&

Oct. 22, 2023

Golf icon Pak Se-ri announces namesake LPGA Tour event

Five-time major winner and LPGA Hall of Famer Pak Se-ri is launching an LPGA Tour event named after her, set to take place in March 2024 in Palm Springs, California. The announcement of the Se Ri Pak LPGA Tour came during a press conference following the 2023 Maum Pak Se-ri World Match Golf Tournament at Stonegate Country Club in Gijang, Busan. The two-day event, hosted by Pak’s Hope Foundation, featured prominent sports figures like fellow LPGA Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, five-time LP

Oct. 12, 2023

S. Korea wins gold, silver in men's golf

HANGZHOU, China -- South Korea captured the gold medal in the team event of the men's golf tournament at the Asian Games on Sunday, as a pair of PGA Tour winners joined two amateurs for a comfortable victory. Kim Si-woo and Im Sung-jae, who have a combined six victories on the top men's tour, along with Jang Yu-bin and Cho Woo-young, scored 76-under to give South Korea its first Asiad gold medal in men's golf since 2010. The three best scores from the four players were added eac

Oct. 1, 2023

S. Koreans finish well out of contention at final PGA Tour playoff event

Three South Korean players have ended up well back of the pack at the final playoff event on the PGA Tour. Kim Si-woo and Tom Kim tied for 20th place at the Tour Championship in Atlanta on Sunday, with both finishing at six-under 276. Kim Si-woo shot a four-under 66 in the final round at East Lake Golf Club with six birdies and two bogeys. Tom Kim went bogey-free in his round of 67. Im Sung-jae finished alone in 24th place at three-under 279, following a 69 in the final round. He was all over th

Aug. 28, 2023

Tom Kim 5 back of 1st round lead at Tour Championship

South Korean golfer Tom Kim sits five strokes off the lead after the opening round of the PGA Tour's final playoff event. Kim shot a three-under 67 to begin the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on Thursday. He is tied for 14th place in the exclusive field of 30 players. Kim qualified for the playoff finale by ranking inside the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings after two playoff events. As No. 16, Kim started the Tour Championship at two-under in the "starting stroke

Aug. 25, 2023

3 S. Korean players looking to strike it rich at final PGA Tour playoff event

A trio of South Korean players will be among the last 30 left standing as the PGA Tour's annual playoffs draw to a conclusion this week. Tom Kim, Im Sung-jae and Kim Si-woo all ranked inside the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings after the end of the second playoff event, the BMW Championship, on Sunday in Olympia Fields, Illinois, and earned themselves a ticket to the Tour Championship, which tees off Thursday in Atlanta. There will be no cut in the exclusive-field event at East Lake Golf C

Aug. 22, 2023

Im Sung-jae 3 off 1st-round lead at 2nd leg of PGA Tour playoffs

South Korea's Im Sung-jae finds himself three strokes off the first-round lead at the second leg of the lucrative PGA Tour playoffs. Im shot a two-under 68 to open the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club's North Course in Olympia Fields, Illinois, on Thursday (local time). Im, who had three birdies and one bogey, is tied for 12th place with five others. Rory McIlroy and Brian Harman, a pair of major champions, share the opening round lead at five-under par. Im is one of fou

Aug. 18, 2023

4 S. Koreans stay alive in PGA Tour playoff

All four South Korean players who have qualified for the PGA Tour playoff are still alive with one tournament in the books. Im Sung-jae, Tom Kim, Kim Si-woo and An Byeong-hun all ranked inside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings following the conclusion of the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis on Sunday. The top 70 in FedEx Cup points after the end of the regular season made it to the Memphis tournament, and now the top 50 will move on to the BMW Championship, which will tee off Thursday

Aug. 14, 2023

Former LPGA star inspired by younger golfers

At this rate, Shin Ji-yai may be tempted to move back to the LPGA Tour. Shin, former world No. 1 in women's golf now playing full time in Japan, finished in third place at the AIG Women's Open in England on Sunday. It was her second top-three performance at an LPGA major this year, following a runner-up finish at the US Women's Open in July. Shin carded a two-under 70 in the final round at Walton Heath Golf Club and ended at seven-under 281, seven behind the champion, Lilia Vu of

Aug. 14, 2023

S. Korean Kim Hyo-joo 1 shot off lead at LPGA season's final major

South Korean player Kim Hyo-joo is one stroke off the lead heading into the final round of the last LPGA major of 2023. Kim shot a four-under 68 in the third round of the AIG Women's Open in Surrey, England, on Saturday, to reach eight-under for the tournament. She is one shot back of the co-leaders, Lilia Vu of the United States and Charley Hull of England, with 18 holes to play at Walton Heath Golf Club. Kim, 28, is going for her second career major, after winning the 2014 Evian Champions

Aug. 13, 2023

S. Koreans fall off pace at final LPGA major of season

South Korean players find themselves way out of contention at the midway point of the final LPGA major of 2023, under way in England. Kim Hyo-joo is the top South Korean at the AIG Women's Open through 36 holes, as she's tied for fifth place at four-under after her second consecutive round of two-under 70 at Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey, England, on Friday (local time). Kim is six strokes behind the leader, Ally Ewing of the United States, who fired a blistering 66 with seven birdi

Aug. 12, 2023

S. Koreans in early contention at LPGA season's final major

A pair of South Korean players find themselves in early contention at the final major tournament of the 2023 LPGA season. Lee Jeong-eun and Amy Yang were tied for second place after the first round of the AIG Women's Open in Surrey, England, on Thursday. Both players shot a three-under 69 at Walton Heath Golf Club to sit one stroke behind the sole leader, Ally Ewing of the United States. South Korea has not had a major winner this year and has had just one since the start of the 2021 season

Aug. 11, 2023

An Byeong-hun finishes runner-up on PGA Tour, qualifies for playoffs

South Korean golfer An Byeong-hun has posted his first runner-up finish of the PGA Tour season, easily qualifying for the upcoming playoffs in the process. An shot a three-under 67 in the weather-interrupted final round of the Wyndham Championship, finishing two-shots behind the winner, Lucas Glover of the United States, at 18-under 262 at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Sunday (local time). This was An's fourth top-10 performance of the season, and his second in t

Aug. 7, 2023