Top Korean golfers to play at 1st PGA Tour event at home

The first PGA Tour event in South Korea will feature top class local golfers, including veteran Choi Kyoung-ju, organizers here said Thursday. CJ Group announced that Choi, who has won eight times on the PGA Tour, will compete at the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, which will be played from Oct. 19-22 at the Club at Nine Bridges on Jeju Island. The 47-year-old, better known as K.J. Choi, will be joined by two-time PGA Tour winner Bae Sang-moon, who was recently discharged from his military service, and A

Sept. 14, 2017

PGA Tour golfer Bae curious about post-military performance

INCHEON -- Two-time PGA Tour winner Bae Sang-moon said Wednesday he is curious about how he will perform after a two-year hiatus from golf. 　Bae was discharged last month after completing his 21-month mandatory military service. The 31-year-old will make his return to competitive golf at the Shinhan Donghae Open on the Korean Tour, which starts Thursday.　“It would be a lie to say that my military service has had no impact on my golf,” Bae said during a press conference at Bear’s Best Cheongna Go

Sept. 13, 2017

Hyundai to cease sponsorship of Chinese golf event

South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. will not sponsor a Chinese golf event this year, officials in Seoul said Tuesday, amid an escalating diplomatic row over the deployment of an advanced US missile defense system in South Korea.An official with Hyundai said that the automaker's Chinese unit Beijing Hyundai Motor Co. -- a joint venture between Hyundai Motor and BAIC Motor Corp. established in 2002 -- will not be the title sponsor for the Chinese Ladies Open on the China LPGA Tour. The bigges

Sept. 12, 2017

LPGA rookie sensation rises to No. 2 in world rankings

South Korean LPGA rookie sensation Park Sung-hyun rose to No. 2 in the latest women's world rankings announced Tuesday.Park moved up a spot to achieve a career high in ranking positions for the second straight week. She'd also gone up one spot to No. 3 the previous week.Park's rise gave South Korea the top two female golfers in the world, with Ryu So-yeon entrenched as the No. 1 for the 10th consecutive week.Park has won twice in her rookie season, most recently at the Canadian Pacific Women's O

Sept. 5, 2017

LPGA rookie sensation reaches career-high in world rankings

Fresh off her second career LPGA victory, rookie sensation Park Sung-hyun has achieved a new career-high in the world rankings.The 23-year-old South Korean rose a spot to No. 3 in the latest world rankings announced Tuesday. She won the most recent LPGA event, Canadian Pacific Women's Open, last Sunday in Ottawa for her second win of the season.Park also leads the LPGA money list with a little over $1.87 million, and is a virtual lock to win the Rookie of the Year points race. She has earned 1,2

Aug. 29, 2017

[Newsmaker] LPGA rookie rides ‘perfect’ round to 2nd title

LPGA rookie phenom Park Sung-hyun has said she rode a “perfect” round to her second career victory in Canada.　Park shot a bogey-free round of seven-under 64 to win the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open on Sunday in Ottawa. At 13-under overall, Park defeated fellow South Korean Lee Mi-rim by two strokes.　The victory came a little over a month after Park’s monumental victory at the US Women‘s Open, the oldest major championship in women’s golf. Thanks to those two victories, Park now leads the money l

Aug. 28, 2017

Teen golf phenom eyes top rookie award on home tour

South Korean teen golf sensation Choi Hye-jin said Monday she'd like to win the top rookie award on the home tour next year.Once a hot-shot amateur, Choi turned professional last Thursday, a day after her 18th birthday. On Aug. 20, she won her last event as an amateur, the Bogner MBN Ladies Open on the Korea LPGA Tour. The victory made Choi the first amateur to win twice in one KLPGA season since 1999, and it came about a month after Choi made international headlines by finishing in second place

Aug. 28, 2017

Hot-shot amateur golfer turns pro, signs lucrative endorsement deal

South Korean teen golfer Choi Hye-jin signed a lucrative endorsement deal Monday, just days after turning professional.Choi, runner-up at the US Women's Open last month, signed a two-year deal with Lotte Group. While exact financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, Choi reportedly signed for the biggest contract ever handed to a rookie by a Korean conglomerate.One Lotte official said Choi will receive about 600 million won ($535,800) per year. The official said there were other companies wh

Aug. 28, 2017

LPGA rookie phenom rides 'perfect' round to 2nd title

LPGA rookie phenom Park Sung-hyun has said she rode a "perfect" round to her second career victory in Canada.Park shot a bogey-free round of seven-under 64 to win the Canadian Pacific Women's Open on Sunday (local time) in Ottawa. At 13-under overall, Park defeated fellow South Korean Lee Mi-rim by two strokes.The victory came a little over a month after Park's monumental victory at the US Women's Open, the oldest major championship in women's golf. Thanks to those two victories, Park now leads

Aug. 28, 2017

Korean rookie rallies for 2nd career LPGA win

South Korean rookie sensation Park Sung-hyun has rallied for her second career LPGA victory in Canada.Park, world No. 4, overcame a four-shot deficit to win the Canadian Pacific Women's Open in Ottawa on Sunday (local time). She fired a bogey-free final round of seven-under 64 at the par-71 Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club to finish at 13-under 271, beating fellow South Korean Lee Mi-rim by two strokes. Park took home a winner's check of $337,500 to overtake South Korean Ryu So-yeon for first place on

Aug. 28, 2017

Pak Se-ri says hosting junior tournament 'valuable experience'

Retired South Korean golf legend Pak Se-ri said Thursday hosting a US junior tournament has given her a valuable experience. The inaugural Se Ri Pak Junior Championship was staged at Butte Creek Country Club in Chico, California, from Monday to Thursday.Although the 39-year-old hosted a couple of South Korean events, the Se Ri Cup Junior Championship and Se Ri Pak Invitational on the Korea LPGA Tour -- this was her first tournament with the American Junior Golf Association.  Pak Se-ri (Yonhap)"A

Aug. 25, 2017

Pak Se-ri hoping to see own US junior tournament grow

CHICO, California -- Retired South Korean golf legend Pak Se-ri is hosting a US junior tournament for the first time this week in California, and it's an event she'd like to see grow both in size and prestige."This is just the beginning, and I'll take it slowly from here," Pak said in an interview Monday at Butte Creek Country Club in Chico, the site of the inaugural Se Ri Pak Junior Championship.This is Pak's first tournament with the American Junior Golf Association, but the World Golf Hall of

Aug. 22, 2017

Hot-shot amateur achieves new career high in women's golf rankings

Hot-shot amateur Choi Hye-jin has achieved a new career high in the women's world golf rankings, just days before turning professional.Choi moved up three spots to No. 22 in the latest rankings released Tuesday. Choi, who turns 18 on Wednesday, won the Bogner MBN Ladies Open on the Korea LPGA Tour on Sunday, becoming the first amateur in 18 years to win twice in South Korea in one season. In this photo provided by the Korea LPGA Tour, Choi Hye-jin celebrates her victory at the Bogner MBN Ladies

Aug. 22, 2017

K.J. Choi to retain PGA Tour status on special exemption

South Korean veteran Choi Kyoung-ju will retain his PGA Tour status for next season thanks to a special exemption category, his agency said Monday.Choi, better known on the tour as K.J. Choi, ranked 177th on the 2016-2017 season FedEx Cup points standings after last weekend's Wyndham Championship and failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs open to the top 125.Those ranked inside the top 125 earn full-time status for the following season, while those ranked from 126th to 150th have condition

Aug. 21, 2017

Top-ranked LPGA golfer shortlisted for year's best female athlete

Ryu So-yeon, world No. 1 in women's golf, has been shortlisted for an international award honoring the year's top female athlete.The South Korean golfer is among 10 finalists in individual sports for the Sportswoman of the Year, announced by the U.S.-based Women's Sports Foundation on Thursday.Ryu, a five-time LPGA Tour winner, has been the top-ranked female golfer since June 26. In April, she won the ANA Inspiration for her second career major championship.Ryu will be up against the following a

Aug. 17, 2017

Discharged from Army, PGA golfer Bae Sang-moon gets to work immediately

WONJU -- There is no rest for the weary, as PGA Tour golfer Bae Sang-moon vowed on Wednesday to get to work right away after his discharge from the South Korean Army.Bae completed his 21-month, mandatory military service here in Wonju, some 130 kilometers east of Seoul, and said he'll hit the range later in the day.Bae, 31, is scheduled to make his return to competitive golf at Shinhan Donghae Open on the Korean Tour on Sept. 14.Prior to his discharge, Bae had said earlier this month he'd done p

Aug. 16, 2017

LPGA star Park In-bee seeking to push herself for 1st win at home

JEJU -- In search of her first victory on home soil, LPGA Hall of Famer Park In-bee said Thursday she'll actually start putting some pressure on herself.Park will compete at Jeju Samdasoo Masters on the Korea LPGA Tour beginning Friday at Ora Country Club on the southern resort island of Jeju. This is Park's fourth consecutive appearance at the event, and she's still looking for her first win here.In fact, the 18-time LPGA Tour winner, who has seven major titles and an Olympic gold medal to her

Aug. 10, 2017

Returning PGA golfer says military has made him stronger

Ahead of his discharge from the South Korean military, PGA Tour golfer Bae Sang-moon said Tuesday his time in the armed forces has made him stronger physically and mentally.The two-time PGA Tour winner will complete his mandatory service on Aug. 16. His agency, All That Sports, announced last week that Bae's first event will be the Shinhan Donghae Open on the Korean Tour starting on Sept. 14.In a statement released Tuesday by All That Sports, Bae said he is coming back to competitive golf a toug

Aug. 9, 2017

Taste of LPGA major victory has Park Sung-hyun hungry for more

INCHEON -- Now that she has enjoyed the sweet taste of an LPGA major victory, South Korean rookie sensation Park Sung-hyun wants more of the same.Park returned home for the first time on Tuesday since winning the U.S. Women's Open on July 16 at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. At 11-under 277, Park edged out South Korean amateur Choi Hye-jin by two strokes for her first LPGA title and also her first major championship.Park, who'd starred on the Korea LPGA Tour before moving to

Aug. 8, 2017

Korean golfer exorcises demons to win 1st LPGA major

With her first LPGA major title at the Ricoh Women's British Open, South Korean golfer Kim In-kyung successfully exorcised the demons that had nagged at her for years.Until her two-shot victory at Kingsbarns Golf Links in Fife, Scotland, on Sunday (local time), Kim's career had largely been defined by the one stunning moment of failure, rather than her six LPGA victories. In this Associated Press photo, Kim In-kyung of South Korea celebrates with the champion's trophy after winning the Ricoh Wom

Aug. 7, 2017