LPGA stars extol virtues of intl. team event

INCHEON -- International stars of women’s golf extolled the virtues Monday of an up-and-coming international competition that has given them a rare opportunity to play for their nation.　The UL International Crown, inaugurated by the LPGA Tour in 2014, will come to South Korea for its third edition in 2018. It’s a new international team event in women’s golf alongside the Solheim Cup, the match play contest between the United States and Europe.　The International Crown is more inclusive. It invite

Oct. 16, 2017

Korean golf legend Pak Se-ri named honorary director of women's intl. team competition

INCHEON -- South Korean golf legend Pak Se-ri was named an honorary executive director Monday for an LPGA international match play competition to be held in South Korea next year.Pak, a World Golf Hall of Famer, will serve in that role for the UL International Crown from Oct. 4 to 7 at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon, just west of Seoul.This will be the third edition of the biennial competition and the first to be held outside the United States. In this file photo provided by the Korea

Oct. 16, 2017

S. Korean tour star captures 1st LPGA victory at home

South Korean tour star Ko Jin-young captured her first LPGA title at home on Sunday, overcoming a gaffe on the green to edge out two fellow South Koreans in a nail-biting finish.Ko carded a four-under 68 in the final round to take the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship on the Ocean Course at Sky 72 Golf & Resort near Incheon International Airport.At a tournament-record score of 19-under 269, Ko defeated LPGA rookie sensation Park Sung-hyun by two. Chun In-gee, the 2016 LPGA Rookie of the Year, was

Oct. 15, 2017

Iceland's 1st LPGA player comes long way to Korea -- literally

INCHEON -- To play in South Korea for the first time in her young career this week, Olafia Kristinsdottir, the first LPGA Tour player from Iceland, had to come a long way.The rookie was a last-minute addition to the field of 78 at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship, which began at Sky 72 Golf & Resort's Ocean Course, near Incheon International Airport, on Thursday. An extra spot opened up for her when Moriya Jutanugarn of Thailand pulled out, and Kristinsdottir only found out over the weekend -

Oct. 13, 2017

Former champion regaining confidence after solid 1st round at Korean LPGA stop

South Korean golfer Amy Yang said Thursday she feels her confidence is coming back after a solid start to the LPGA stop in her native country.Yang carded a two-under 70 to position herself among the top 15 in the early part of the opening round of the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship. Held on Ocean Course at SKy 72 Golf & Resort, this is the lone LPGA held in South Korea each year.Yang is the 2013 champion of this event, and at the 2015 tournament, she tied the LPGA record for consecutive birdies

Oct. 12, 2017

Top three LPGA players take battle to Korea

INCHEON -- Three of the brightest stars in women's golf today will take their battle to South Korea this week, as the LPGA Tour makes its lone annual stop in the country.The LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship will begin Thursday at the Ocean Course at Sky72 Golf & Resort, situated next to Incheon International Airport. The Ocean Course is hosting the tournament for the 10th consecutive year.The strong field of 78 players features nine of the top-10 players on the women's golf rankings. And the top

Oct. 10, 2017

Local stars to headline strong field at LPGA tourney in Korea

A pair of homegrown stars will headline a strong field at the upcoming LPGA tournament in South Korea.Ryu So-yeon and Park Sung-hyun, Nos. 1 and 2 in the women's world rankings, will showcase their talent before home fans at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship starting Oct. 12 at Sky 72 Golf & Resort's Ocean Course in Incheon, west of Seoul.In all, nine out of the top-10 players will compete at the tournament, the only LPGA event in South Korea each year.Only the No. 10-ranked Park In-bee will b

Sept. 28, 2017

FedEx Cup champion Justin Thomas to play at S. Korea's 1st PGA tourney

Reigning FedEx Cup champion Justin Thomas has committed to South Korea's first PGA Tour event next month, the organizers said Wednesday.Thomas, who won the Dell Technologies Championship en route to capturing the overall FedEx Cup title, will compete in the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, which will be played from Oct. 19-22 at the Club at Nine Bridges on Jeju Island.Thomas, 24, had four victories during the 2016-2017 season, including his first major at the PGA Championship in August. Justin Thomas of t

Sept. 27, 2017

Park In-bee to sit out rest of LPGA season with back injury

World No. 10 Park In-bee will bow out of the rest of the 2017 LPGA season in order to rest her ailing back, a source close to the player said Thursday.Park had been scheduled to wrap up her season at the Alisports LPGA in Beijing starting Oct. 5, but the tournament was abruptly canceled earlier this month. Park will sit out the rest of the LPGA's annual Asian tour, which includes a stop in South Korea in mid October, and will also skip the season finale, the CME Group Tour Championship, in Novem

Sept. 21, 2017

Latest PGA playoff winner to compete in Korea next month

The latest FedEx Cup playoff winner will compete in the first PGA Tour event in South Korea next month, the organizers said Wednesday.Marc Leishman, who captured last week's BMW Championship, has committed to the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, which will be played from Oct. 19-22 at the Club at Nine Bridges on Jeju Island.CJ Group said it will be Leishman's first appearance in South Korea since competing for the International Team at the 2015 Presidents Cup in Incheon. This promotional poster of the CJ

Sept. 20, 2017

Koreans' charge falls short at LPGA season's final major

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France -- South Korean contenders' charge fell short at the LPGA Tour's final major championship of the season here on Sunday.Kim Sei-young was the top finisher from the South Korean contingent at the weather-shortened Evian Championship at par-71 Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, where she tied for sixth at seven-under 206. Kim ended two strokes out of the playoff between Brittany Altomare and Anna Nordqvist.Nordqvist beat Altomare with a bogey on the first pla

Sept. 18, 2017

Indian golfer disqualified from Korean event after oversleeping

INCHEON -- Four-time European Tour winner Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia of India was disqualified from a golf tournament in South Korea Thursday after he overslept and missed his tee time. The organizers of the Shinhan Donghae Open said Chawrasia failed to show up for his first round tee time at Cheongna Bear's Best Golf Club in Incheon. Under the tournament rules, if a player shows up at his starting point up to five minutes after his tee time, he or she will be given a two-stroke penalty, but

Sept. 14, 2017

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