The Korea Herald

Gov't mulls tax cuts for golfers on cue from president

The government is weighing various measures to vitalize golf, an official said Wednesday, quickly picking up a cue from President Park Geun-hye who a day earlier said the sport should be played more. The senior official said a meeting with the related ministries will be held soon to check on what can be done. "Lowering taxes has been one of the main demands by golfers and country clubs in the past," said the finance ministry insider, who declined to be identified. Lowering golf-related taxes

Feb. 4, 2015

S. Korean Choi Na-yeon wins 2015 LPGA Tour season opener

South Korea's Choi Na-yeon captured the 2015 LPGA Tour season opener in Florida on Saturday.Choi won the inaugural Coates Golf Championship by one stroke over three golfers, including fellow South Korean Jang Ha-na and the teen prodigy Lydia Ko.Choi shot a four-under 68 in the final round at Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club in Ocala, Florida, for a four-round total of 16-under 272. Choi took home $225,000 for her eighth career LPGA victory, and her first since November 2012."I was extremely

Feb. 2, 2015

Choi Na-yeon takes LPGA opener

OCALA, Florida (AP) ― During a closing stretch that featured one of the more tumultuous final hours in recent LPGA Tour history, teen wunderkind Lydia Ko faced a series of tough predicaments. But a query that came after the final round gave her the biggest pause of all.After reclaiming the lead late Saturday to set herself up for a double payoff of sorts, the 17-year-old double-bogeyed the 71st hole in the inaugural Coates Golf Championship to lose by a shot to Choi Na-yeon. However, Ko secured

Feb. 1, 2015

S. Korean Choi Na-yeon wins 2015 LPGA Tour season opener

South Korea's Choi Na-yeon captured the 2015 LPGA Tour season opener in Florida on Saturday.Choi won the inaugural Coates Golf Championship by one stroke over three golfers, including fellow South Korean Jang Ha-na and the teen prodigy Lydia Ko.Choi shot a four-under 68 in the final round at Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club in Ocala, Florida, for a four-round total of 16-under 272. Choi took home $225,000 for her eighth career LPGA victory, and her first since November 2012.Despite settling

Feb. 1, 2015

Jang surges into lead at opener

OCALA, Florida (AP) ― Jang Ha-na went from qualifier to leader in just a few days at the LPGA season opener.And it surprised no one.The 22-year-old South Korean, ranked 21st in the world, shot a 7-under 65 in the second round of the Coates Golf Championship on Thursday and opened up a four-shot lead over Stacy Lewis heading into the third round.Jang has full status on the LPGA Tour. But because the opener isn’t a full-field event, she had to qualify last Saturday. Her extra time at Golden Golf &

Jan. 30, 2015

Bae files suit to hold off military conscription

Facing conscription after being denied an extension on his overseas stay, PGA Tour golfer Bae Sang-moon has taken legal action to hold off military service, sources close to the South Korean said Thursday.The sources said the two-time PGA Tour winner filed an administrative suit Jan. 16 through his legal representatives, after the Military Manpower Administration refused to extend his overseas travel permit in December.Bae’s permit expired at the end of last year, and he had to return home withi

Jan. 29, 2015

Korda, Lewis, Munoz tied for lead at LPGA opener

Korea’s Park In-bee plays a shot on the 18th hole on Wednesday. (AFP-Yonhap)OCALA, Florida (AP) ― Jessica Korda pulled a hand warmer out of each jacket pocket, showing just how cold she was during the opening round of the LPGA opener.Her scoreboard told a much different story.The 21-year-old American shot a 6-under 66 in the opening round of the Coates Golf Championship on Wednesday and was in a three-way tie with fellow American Stacy Lewis and Azahara Munoz of Spain. All three teed off in wind

Jan. 29, 2015

Korda, Lewis, Munoz tied for lead at LPGA opener

PGA Tour's Bae Sang-moon files suit to hold off military conscription

Facing conscription after being denied an extension on his overseas stay, PGA Tour golfer Bae Sang-moon has taken legal action to hold off military service, sources close to the South Korean said Thursday.The sources said the two-time PGA Tour winner filed an administrative suit Jan. 16 through his legal representatives, after the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) refused to extend his overseas travel permit in December.Bae's permit expired at the end of last year, and he had to return home

Jan. 29, 2015

Wie set for LPGA Tour opener

OCALA, Florida (AP) ― Well-rested and healthy, Michelle Wie is ready to get back to work.“I’m very excited for this year,” said Wie, set to begin play Wednesday in the LPGA Tour’s season-opening Coates Golf Championship. “No major swing changes. Just working on building upon last year. I want to just keep the momentum going, just keep building.“My goal for this year is the same. I want to be consistent, but at the same time I want to get a little bit better each and every day.” The 25-year-old W

Jan. 28, 2015

LPGA opens with top field

OCALA, Florida (AFP) ― Top-ranked Park In-bee of South Korea and second-ranked New Zealand teen Lydia Ko will try to follow stellar 2014 campaigns with hot 2015 starts when the LPGA season begins Wednesday.The inaugural $1.5 million Coates Championship in suburban Orlando, Florida, marks the opening of a 33-event global calendar offering $61.6 million in prize money.The opening tournament features a field of 120 with a Wednesday to Saturday schedule to avoid a final-day conflict with American fo

Jan. 27, 2015

Bill Haas pulls away to win Humana Challenge

LA QUINTA, California (AP) ― Bill Haas pulled ahead with a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th and parred the final two holes for a one-stroke victory Sunday in the Humana Challenge.Haas closed with a 5-under 67 for his sixth PGA Tour title and first since the 2013 AT&T National. He won the 2010 event at PGA West for his first tour victory.Haas was making his first start since November. He took the long break to rest his left wrist, fractured in April when he fell down stairs at Hilton Head.Pa

Jan. 26, 2015

Bill Haas pulls away to win Humana Challenge

Jimmy Walker wins Sony Open

HONOLULU (AP) ― At least Jimmy Walker is leaving Hawaii with one trophy.Six days after losing a tournament on Maui he felt he should have won, Walker turned in a command performance Sunday on Oahu. He blew away the field with a 7-under 63 to win the Sony Open for the second straight year.His fourth career victory was the most impressive of all. On a course that lends itself to a free-for-all, Walker shot 62-63 on the weekend and set a tournament record with a nine-shot victory. The previous reco

Jan. 19, 2015

Casey, Simpson tied for lead at Sony Open

HONOLULU (AP) ― Webb Simpson made his debut with a conventional putter Thursday at the Sony Open and might have wished he had used one sooner.One year away from the new rule that outlaws anchored strokes, Simpson ditched his belly putter for a regular one for his 2015 debut and ran off eight birdies over his last 10 holes for an 8-under 62 that gave him a share of the early lead with Paul Casey.On a day that made the 144 players feel they were in paradise, Simpson and Casey led a morning of low

Jan. 16, 2015

Casey, Simpson tied for lead at Sony Open

Reed wins in playoff at Kapalua

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) ― Four shots behind with four holes to play, Patrick Reed made two birdies and holed out from 80 yards for an eagle Monday, and then closed out his unlikely rally by making an 18-foot birdie putt to beat Jimmy Walker in a playoff at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.The PGA Tour started a new year without a host of big names, but got a compelling finish at Kapalua.Reed charged back into the picture with his eagle on the 16th hole, a shot that spun back toward the hole and

Jan. 13, 2015

Bae part of 4-way tie for Hawaii lead

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) ― Zach Johnson putted for birdie on every hole and made seven of them Saturday for a 6-under 67 that put him in a four-way tie for the lead after two rounds of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.Johnson was halfway home to becoming the first repeat winner at Kapalua who wasn’t from Australia ― Stuart Appleby and Geoff Ogilvy were the others. But not only is the first PGA Tour event of the year only through 36 holes, it’s extraordinarily crowded.Jimmy Walker dropped a stroke

Jan. 11, 2015

Golf begins new year with events to keep eagle eye on

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) ― Predictions are a dangerous business, especially in golf.How many could have guessed that Tiger Woods, No. 1 in the world and coming off a five-win season, would play in only nine tournaments, finish only four of them and plunge to No. 32 in the world because of injuries?Or that Bubba Watson, who had gone 38 events without winning, would finish 2014 as highest-ranked American?Instead, the start of a new year at Kapalua allows a look into the future ― not what will happen,

Jan. 8, 2015

Golf begins new year with events to keep eagle eye on

Bae Sang-moon to take legal action after being denied visa extension

Korean PGA Tour golfer Bae Sang-moon will take legal action after the government here denied him an extension of his overseas travel and forced him to face conscription, his family said Thursday.Si Ok-hee, mother of the two-time PGA Tour winner, said Bae has hired an attorney to take the necessary legal steps after the Military Manpower Administration refused to extend his overseas travel permit last month.Bae’s permit expired at the end of last year and he must return home within 30 days of the

Jan. 8, 2015

Masters races to keep field under 100

Here’s a new tradition unlike any other ― the race to see if the Masters can keep its field under 100 players by April.For the fourth time in the last five years, at least 90 players already have qualified for the Masters at the end of the year with three months of opportunities remaining before the field is set. Each time, Augusta National managed to achieve its objective of keeping the number of competitors in double digits.By far the smallest field of the four majors, the Masters has not had

Dec. 25, 2014

Rory McIlroy European Tour golfer of year

VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) ― Rory McIlroy has been chosen as the European Tour player of the year, capping a season in which he won two majors, the Ryder Cup and topped the money lists in Europe and the United States.McIlroy, the world No. 1, won his maiden British Open title by two strokes over Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia at Royal Liverpool in July, and less than a month later earned a second U.S. PGA Championship at Valhalla, finishing a shot clear of Phil Mickelson.Between McIlroy’s thi

Dec. 17, 2014

As retirement looms, LPGA icon Pak Se-ri eyes coaching

As she prepares to wrap up a trailblazing career on the LPGA Tour that inspired a new generation of golfers, South Korean veteran Pak Se-ri said Monday she’d like to coach her native country at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where golf will make its long-awaited return to the competition.Attending the signing ceremony for her new sponsorship deal with Hana Financial Group, Pak, who made her LPGA debut in 1998, reaffirmed her earlier plan to retire after the 2016 season, and her wish

Dec. 16, 2014