Graeme McDowell in mix in first WM Phoenix Open start in 16 years

South Korea has the top two golfers in the world. Three of the top four. 11 of the top 20. 23 of the top 50 and 41 of the top 100. Not bad for a country of around 51 million people. Of course, I am referring to the women’s game. It is a dominance of extremely impressive proportions from a golf mad country. So why then are these numbers not mirrored on the men’s side of the game? Is it possible they ever will? “I think getting to the level of the women might be a bit of a stretch,â€� Australian Adam Scott says. “But I think that the potential growth of the Korean players on the PGA TOUR is very big. It wouldn’t surprise me to see double the number of the Korean players on the PGA TOUR in the next five to ten years.â€� Certainly, taking the PGA TOUR to the region is a step in the right direction. Amongst the impressive field at the inaugural CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES this week will be 17 Korean players flying the flag proudly in their country’s new PGA TOUR event. They’ll each harbor a dream of producing four epic rounds of golf and etching themselves into history. THE PLAYERS Champion Si Woo Kim leads the group as the best ranked Korean player at 41 in the world. He is one of just four Koreans in the world top 100, joined by Byeong Hun An (79), Sunghoon Kang (80) and Jeunghun Wang (87). But the spiritual leader of the pack is perhaps the godfather of Korean men’s golf in K.J. Choi. Like Kim, Choi has a PLAYERS Championship to his name, but it is one of eight PGA TOUR wins in a dazzling career spanning 442 starts. The pride he feels this week is clear to see. While his efforts have failed to spark things on the same levels as Se Ri Pak did in the women’s game, Choi has been a big factor in the growth of the sport in his home country. He believes a stronger presence on the world scene, and the PGA TOUR, is on the horizon. “Of course, the number of the Korean players on the PGA TOUR is fewer than the number of Korean LPGA players but, Korea has the most number of PGA players from the Asian countries,â€� he explains. “About 14 Koreans and Korean-Americans are playing on the TOUR and the number of players may differ from the LPGA but, I don’t think the level of performance is too different. “I think that this event will help in that many players will be given the chance to gauge what they need to do to join the TOUR. It will give them a chance to see it for themselves what they need to improve, what they lack, what preparations they need. This event, in that sense, will push Korean golf one step ahead.â€� Of course, one of the factors is the duty of Korean men to undertake two years of military service before they are 30. Sangmoon Bae had to step away from the game just as the two-time TOUR winner was really flourishing, going out as a member of the 2015 Presidents Cup team. Sung Kang, the runner-up earlier this year at the Houston Open had another interesting theory on why Korean women golfers are having more of an impact than their male counterparts. “The women don’t have a decided disadvantage physically,â€� Kang told PGA TOUR.com’s Mike McAllister. “I think we’re at a disadvantage to the Americans. We’re a little smaller, a little weaker. The Americans (men) are stronger, taller, bigger.â€� Haewon Kang, the senior producer of Korean content at the PGA TOUR, says Asian culture brings with it a fierce mentality in terms of working for success, particularly in women. Parents can be very strict on their kids to work harder in whatever their chosen field might be and Kang says young girls are traditionally a little more obedient than boys. But for things to really go to another level in the men’s game she believes a dominant star needs to emerge from the pack. Korea needs its own Jordan Spieth or Justin Thomas to light up the stage often. On the women’s side Pak provided this by winning five majors as part of 39 professional wins. It inspired countless others to strive for greatness. While Y.E. Yang broke the major barrier in 2009 at the PGA Championship he failed to remain a long-term factor. Choi’s career has been brilliant also but not quite dominant enough. “After Se Ri lead the success in golf, so many kids dreamed of being a golf players,â€� Haewon explains.  “In women’s golf, there has been one dominant player who has won multiple times in a season and people remember the name and have more interest. “However, we cannot find a good star player in men’s golf. We have some players who win once or twice but it is not enough to be remembered. People will remember a star player better. That is a big reason that men’s golf is falling behind the women.â€� Kim could yet be that star. Already with two PGA TOUR wins at just 22, including THE PLAYERS, Kim has shown a unique talent. But consistency has been a major problem. The recent Presidents Cup player made 30 starts on the PGA TOUR last season with 11 missed cuts and six WDs scattered amongst his big win. His International Team members at Liberty National privately spoke in glowing terms of his raw talent, calling it almost robotic. When he was told where to hit the ball from an outside source he would do so effortlessly time and time again. They were also mightily impressed with his fight and determination. His issues come when he’s thinking too much, something that will hopefully rectify itself with more experience. Maybe it could be Wang, a two-time winner on the European Tour in back-to-back weeks in 2016. Also, just 22 now, he was the youngest player, at 20 years and 263 days, to win consecutive events on the European Tour. Perhaps it will be a young player in the galleries this week who will be inspired by seeing his heroes up close. With a clear path and opportunity to get to the PGA TOUR now in front of his countrymen, Choi believes his career stats will be dwarfed by his countrymen in the future. “You will see my fellow Korean players show you performance and play that you have not seen from myself. I believe that they will exceed me,â€� Choi said. “This will be an invaluable experience for the younger players. Through this opportunity, I believe that many will be setting higher and more ambitious goals.â€� KOREANS IN THE FIELD Si Woo Kim – 22, has two PGA TOUR wins including the 2017 PLAYERS Championship. Member of the 2017 International Team at the Presidents Cup. K.J. Choi – 47, eight time PGA TOUR winner including the 2011 PLAYERS Championship. Young-han Song – 26, Won SMBC Singapore Open on Japan Tour where he beat Jordan Spieth by one stroke. Has six PGA TOUR starts and his TOUR debut at the 2016 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, where he finished T21, remains his best result along with a T21 at the 2016 CIMB Classic. Jinho Choi – 33, Four Korean Tour victories most recently at the 2016 Nefs Heritage. The 2017 Genesis Open, where he withdrew after a first-round 76, was his PGA TOUR debut. Jung-gon Hwang – 25, three-time winner on Japan Golf Tour, including his first title at the 2011 Mizuno Open. This win earned him entry into The Open Championship in 2011 where he finished 71st. Last June, he won the KPGA Championship. Hyungjoon Lee – 25, recently captured a two-shot victory at the KPGA Caido Series Jeonbuk Open. Seung Hyuk Kim – 31, Has four Korean Tour and one Japan Tour win. JungHwan Lee – Won the 2017 Caido Golden V1 Open in sudden death playoff over Seung Hyuk Kim a week after losing a playoff against the same opponent. Sangmoon Bae – 31, Two PGA TOUR wins and a member of the 2015 Presidents Cup International Team. Returning this season after two-year military stint. Gyu Min Lee – joined Yun-ji Jeong to represent South Korea at the APGC Junior Championship Mitsubishi Corporate Cup in Hong Kong last August. The pair won the event the previous two years. Whee Kim – 25, PGA TOUR member. 89th in FedExCup last season. K.T. Kim – 31, 13-time winner on Japan Tour. 2011 Presidents Cup team member. Seung-Yul Noh – 26, PGA TOUR winner at 2014 Zurich Classic. 110th in FedExCup last season. Kyoung-Hoon Lee – 26, Two-time Japan Tour winner and Web.com Tour player. Sung Kang – 30, PGA TOUR member. Eight career Top-10s. 59th in the FedExCup last season. Byeong Hun An – 26, PGA TOUR member. Former U.S. Amateur winner. 102nd in FedExCup last season. Jeunghun Wang – 22, two-time winner on the European Tour in back-to-back weeks in 2016. Olympian. 

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Brooks Koepka had three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the front nine and cruised to a three-stroke victory in the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational on Sunday for his first WGC title. Playing with Rory McIlroy in their first final-group pairing, Koepka closed with a bogey-free 5-under 65 at TPC Southwind for his seventh PGA TOUR title to extend his FedExCup standings lead. He finished at 16-under 264. McIlroy followed his third-round 62 with a 71 to drop into a tie for fourth at 11 under. Webb Simpson had a 64 to finish second. Marc Leishman (67) was third, four strokes back. Tommy Fleetwood (66) and Matthew Fitzpatrick (69) joined McIlroy at 11 under.

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JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Patrick Reed’s last Sunday at Liberty National was a little less stressful than what he’ll face this time. Victory was assured two years ago, when Reed was part of a U.S. juggernaut that dominated the International Team in unprecedented fashion at the Presidents Cup. The home team almost ended the tournament a day early. It could celebrate Saturday evening, knowing it needed just a half-point in singles to retain the Cup. Now Reed is on his own atop a tight leaderboard at THE NORTHERN TRUST. He shot 4-under 67 to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs. There are nine players within four strokes of Reed, including past FedExCup champions Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy and Brandt Snedeker. Related: Leaderboard | FedExCup update: Snedeker two back | FedExCup standings Reed, who is 14-under-par, has made just one bogey over 54 holes at a golf course that continues to grow progressively tougher after getting doused with rain before the tournament. On Saturday, Liberty National played over par for the first time all week (71.2). He’ll be joined in the final group by Abraham Ancer, who won last year’s Australian Open but is seeking his first PGA TOUR victory. Snedeker and Jon Rahm are two shots back. Rose trails by three, while McIlroy is four behind. Snedeker shot 63 on Saturday after teeing off 3 ½ hours ahead of the leaders. The winds strengthened and the course dried out as the day progressed. Ancer is 67th in the FedExCup and 10th in the standings for the Presidents Cup’s International Team. He shot 68 on Saturday. “I’m very pleased with the way I played,â€� he said. “Extremely tough conditions out there. The golf course firmed up a ton. It was definitely a different animal than the last two days.â€� Few have hit the ball better than Reed this week. He’s third in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and 18th in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green. He’s in the top 10 of fairways hit (33 of 42) and greens in regulation (39 of 54) as well. His 67 on Saturday was the low round among the final 10 players to tee off Saturday. His strong ball-striking allowed him to conquer the conditions. “From the fairway, you can attack (this golf course),â€� Reed said. “It’s one of those things that you just have to be smart and play this golf course smart. You have to give yourself opportunities and I feel like I’ve been doing that this week.â€� This is the seventh time Reed has held at least a share of the 54-hole lead. He’s won on four of the previous six occasions. He hasn’t started Sunday with a lead since last year’s Masters. His triumph at Augusta National remains his most recent victory. A win would help Reed extend two impressive streaks. He is 50th in the FedExCup, but a win would guarantee him a sixth consecutive start at the TOUR Championship. He’s also 17th in the Presidents Cup standings. He’s played on every U.S. international team since 2014. Reed’s winless stretch reached rock bottom in the run-up to his title defense. He had a three-round stretch at THE PLAYERS and Valspar Championship where he shot 78-77-75. His struggles were enough for him to take a three-week break after a missed cut at the PGA Championship. There was a 10-day stretch where he didn’t touch a club. “I was able to sit down clearly think and talk through my team what we’re doing, what’s good, what’s not, what we need to fix. From that point, we had a very clear picture and path to move on to,â€� Reed said. “Any time you can ease your mind and you have clear focus, you’re able to go out there and execute and play better golf.â€� He and his team decided that he was getting too technical. He plays his best when he’s trying to shape shots instead of thinking about his golf swing. “The biggest thing for me was hit fairways and just allow my mind to get out of its way, go out and be who I am,â€� Reed said. “That’s grind, and once I get it on the golf course, go play golf. See golf shots and hit golf shots.â€� He’s made every cut since leaving Bethpage Black and has five consecutive top-25s, including a T5 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and 10th-place finish at The Open. Those are his first top-10s since his first start of the season, the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. He was ranked 148th in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green after the PGA. He’s now 81st in that statistic. He’s jumped from 125th to 88th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in that span, as well. He also switched golf balls last Sunday – before the final round of the Wyndham Championship – and the move paid immediate dividends. He shot 63 thanks to a softer golf ball that flies higher. “It’s just awesome to finally be in that position back again where I’m contending on Sunday and have a chance to win the golf tournament,â€� Reed said.

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