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

GolfMay 18, 2021

Rangers' Yang Hyeon-jong to take up 'bulk' role vs. Yankees

When Texas Rangers' South Korean pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong makes his next appearance this week, he'll once again be asked to eat up multiple innings out of the bullpen. In his pregame Zoom call before hosting the New York Yankees in Arlington, Texas, on Monday (local time), Rangers manager Chris Woodward said Yang will take the mound Wednesday for the third game of the four-game series -- not as a starter but as a "bulk" guy, a fairly new term for a pitcher who takes the ball in the sec

BaseballMay 18, 2021

Rays' Choi Ji-min collects 3 hits in season debut

Coming off a knee surgery, Tampa Bay Rays' Choi Ji-man has punctuated his long-awaited season debut with a three-hit performance. Choi batted 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run against the New York Mets at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Sunday (local time), contributing to a 7-1 victory. Choi had missed the first 41 games of the season following arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on March 31. Choi was activated from the 10-day injured list Saturday but waited another day before

BaseballMay 17, 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

GolfMay 17, 2021

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin goes 7 strong vs. Braves for 3rd win of season

In a vintage performance backed up by late run support, Toronto Blue Jays' ace Ryu Hyun-jin has picked up his third win of the season. Ryu threw seven strong innings against the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta on Wednesday (local time), allowing just a run on five hits while striking out six in a 4-1 victory. Ryu improved to 3-2 and lowered his ERA from 3.31 to 2.95. His 94 pitches were one shy of his season high. Ryu is the only Blue Jays starter to go at least seven innings this year, and he has

BaseballMay 13, 2021

Rangers' Yang Hyeon-jong likely to stay in bullpen for now

Yang Hyeon-jong may have to wait a few more days before making his next start for the Texas Rangers. With right-hander Kohei Arihara landing on the 10-day injured list (IL) over the weekend, Yang appeared to be in line to make a spot start this week against the Houston Astros. The South Korean left-hander pitched 3 1/3 solid innings against the Minnesota Twins in place of Arihara last Wednesday, following two bullpen appearances. Instead, manager Chris Woodward said Monday (US local time) that

BaseballMay 11, 2021

Lessons learned from poor stretch helping young KBO ace in breakout season

Pitching in his second season for the Samsung Lions in 2020, right-hander Won Tae-in was a much different pitcher in the second half than the first half -- and not in a good way. He was 5-2 with a 3.56 ERA in his first 13 appearances, including one relief appearance, and he seemed to be on his way to a breakout campaign that many had expected from the then 20-year-old. Then things fell apart over his final 14 starts, over which Won was just 1-8 with an ugly 6.15 ERA. This year, Won is off to

BaseballMay 11, 2021

Ryu Hyun-jin reports no pain following return from glute injury

Uncharacteristically wobbly with his command, Toronto Blue Jays' left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin labored through five innings for a road victory against the Oakland Athletics in his first outing back from the injured list (IL). But more importantly, the South Korean pitcher reported zero pain afterward. Ryu allowed four runs on six hits, including a home run, in five innings at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland on Thursday (local time) and watched his teammates tacking on late runs for a 10-4 victory. Ryu

BaseballMay 7, 2021

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin picks up ho-hum win in return from injured list

Ryu Hyun-jin wasn't at his best for the Toronto Blue Jays in his return from the injured list (IL), though he didn't need to be for his second win of the season. The South Korean left-hander gave up four runs on six hits in five innings against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland on Thursday (local time), as the Blue Jays beat the A's 10-4. The four runs tied Ryu's season high, as his ERA went up from 2.60 to 3.31. His record is even at 2-2. Ryu was activated from the 10-day IL just in time for t

SportsMay 7, 2021

Rangers' Yang Hyeon-jong strikes out 8 in 1st MLB start

As baseball starts go, this was short and sweet for Yang Hyeon-jong of the Texas Rangers. In his first major league start, Yang struck out eight Minnesota Twins in just 3 1/3 innings at Target Field in Minneapolis on Wednesday (local time). The bullpen took over with one out and bases loaded in the bottom fourth and the game tied at 1-1, and reliever John King bailed out the Korean left-hander with a couple of groundouts. The Rangers prevailed 3-1, after scoring twice in the top of the sixth

BaseballMay 6, 2021

Kim Kwang-hyun shrugs off bizarre inning, puts team first in no-decision

Kim Kwang-hyun has been a professional pitcher since 2007. He has seen a lot over his career, which began in his native South Korea and has taken him to the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals. So a bizarre fourth inning against the New York Mets at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Wednesday (local time), an extended frame that included multiple delays and two reviews, did little to faze him. Kim walked away with a no-decision after holding the Mets to a run in four innings on two hits and thre

BaseballMay 6, 2021

[Newsmaker] Football star Ki Sung-yueng grilled over suspected land speculation case

Football star Ki Sung-yueng has been summoned by police and questioned on charges of illegally buying and using farmland in the southwestern city Gwangju, police said Monday. Ki, the captain of FC Seoul in the K League 1, was grilled as a suspect by investigators at the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency for three hours, beginning at 2 p.m. on Sunday, the police agency said. Ki and his father, Ki Young-ok, have been booked without detention on charges of violating the Agricultural Land Act and

SoccerMay 3, 2021

Badminton star Lee Yong-dae diagnosed with COVID-19

Badminton star Lee Yong-dae has been confirmed to be infected with COVID-19, his team said Monday. The 32-year-old player tested positive for the new coronavirus on April 23 and entered a quarantine facility, according to the Yonex badminton team. Lee was discharged Monday because he showed no symptoms. He is self-isolating at home and will take a test again this week, Yonex said. He took a test on April 22 after a person who he ate together with tested positive, team officials said. The le

More SportsMay 3, 2021

Tottenham's Son Heung-min ties career high with 21st goal of season

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min has tied his European single-season career high with 21 goals. In a Premier League match against Sheffield United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday (local time), the South Korean star netted a goal to help his team get a comfortable 4-0 victory. It is Son's 16th goal of the 2020-2021 Premier League season, placing him third on the Premier League's top scorer list, following his teammate Harry Kane with a leading 21 goals and Mohamed Salah of Liv

SoccerMay 3, 2021

FC Seoul defender Hwang Hyun-soo diagnosed with COVID-19

FC Seoul defender Hwang Hyun-soo has been diagnosed with COVID-19, the K League 1 club said Monday. The 26-year-old was given a positive coronavirus test result Sunday afternoon after an acquaintance he met six days prior tested positive for the virus, the club said. Hwang learned of the infection of his acquaintance Saturday afternoon and immediately reported it to his club, which relayed the news to the Korea Professional Football League (K League). All other FC Seoul players and coaches te

SoccerMay 3, 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

GolfMay 2, 2021

Five KBO matches to be canceled after vaccination for Olympic athletes

Five matches of the South Korean professional baseball league scheduled for Tuesday will be canceled in accordance with the nationwide vaccination program for Olympic athletes. The Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) said Friday that out of 154 players on the preliminary squad for the Tokyo Olympics, 116 professional athletes playing in South Korea, including former Major League All-Star outfielder Choo Shin-soo of SSG Landers, will be inoculated Monday. The number accounts for about 40 percen

BaseballApril 30, 2021

Go competition brings professionals and amateurs together

Hoping for the growth of the game of Go, or “Baduk” in Korean, next-generation big data platform company DataStreams and South Korea’s leading English daily The Korea Herald co-hosted the 2021 Pro-am Baduk Competition on Friday. “We put together today’s event to let the world know of Korean Baduk’s high position,” said DataStreams CEO Lee Young-sang. “DataStreams will continue to help expand the Korean Baduk’s status in the world of sports.

More SportsApril 30, 2021

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin placed on injured list following minor gluteal strain

Toronto Blue Jays' ace pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin has been placed on the 10-day injured list (IL) for the first time since joining the club after suffering a minor right gluteal strain. In an away game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Sunday (US time), Ryu left the game in the fourth inning. His club said the pitcher left the mound because of a minor "right glute strain." Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo played down the placement, forecasting Ry

BaseballApril 29, 2021

Natl. wrestling team's COVID-19 cases rise to 22: federation

The number of new coronavirus cases among athletes and the training staff of the South Korean national wrestling team rose to 22, the sport's governing body said Wednesday. The national team traveled to Almaty, Kazakhstan, to participate in the 2021 Asian Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament from April 8-11 and the 2021 Asian Wrestling Championships from April 12-18. Twenty-four returned to Korea on April 19, and seven tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to the Korea Wre

More SportsApril 28, 2021