TOUR Insider: Can Korean men’s golf emerge like the women?

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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