Competition for Olympic spots on hold for S. Korean LPGA golfers

What promised to be a memorable duel for Olympic spots among South Korean LPGA stars has been put on hold with the announcement that the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games will be delayed to next year. The decision, jointly reached by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Tokyo's organizing committee late Tuesday, will resonate on different levels for a handful of South Korean Olympic hopefuls in women's golf. Those who were on a roll to start the season will likely feel frustrated to be stopped

March 25, 2020

S. Korean Im Sung-jae rises to No. 1 in FedEx Cup points after finishing 3rd at Bay Hill

What sophomore slump? Im Sung-jae, the reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, climbed to the top of the FedEx Cup points standings following a third-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday (local time). The 21-year-old South Korean picked up his first PGA Tour victory the previous week at the Honda Classic. He was trying to become the first player since David Duval in 1997 to win his first two career titles in consecutive weeks, but finished two strokes be

March 9, 2020

S. Korean Im Sung-jae captures 1st PGA Tour title

South Korea's Im Sung-jae can finally call himself a PGA Tour winner. Im won the Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on Sunday (local time), with a four-round total of six-under 274. He shot a four-under 66 in the final round to hold off Canadian Mackenzie Hughes by one stroke. Im, the 2018-2019 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, is the seventh South Korean to find the winner's circle on the tour. Im picked up $1.26 million for his win; he'd made just under $2 million in 12 tournaments t

March 2, 2020

S. Korea's Park In-bee captures 20th career LPGA win in Australia

South Korean star Park In-bee picked up her 20th career LPGA victory in Australia on Sunday, resuming her pursuit of an Olympic spot and a chance to defend her gold medal. The LPGA Hall of Famer captured the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open by three strokes over Amy Olson of the United States at 14-under par. Park shot an one-over in the final round at Royal Adelaide Golf Club in South Australia. She is the second straight South Korean champion this season, following Park Hee-young's victor

Feb. 16, 2020

S. Korean Park In-bee loses LPGA season opener in playoff

South Korea's Park In-bee has lost the LPGA season opener in a three-way playoff, falling just shy of ending her two-year winless drought.The LPGA Hall of Famer was eliminated in the third playoff hole at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on Sunday (local time), after pulling her tee shot into the water.Gaby Lopez of Mexico and Nasa Hataoka of Japan were still tied after five playoff holes, when play was suspended due to darkness.The two will be back at it

Jan. 20, 2020

Olympic champ Park grabs LPGA Tourney of Champions lead

MIAMI (AFP) -- Olympic champion Park In-bee of South Korea fired a four-under-par 67 to seize a two-stroke lead after Saturday's third round of the season-opening LPGA Tournament of Champions.Park had a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-3 18th hole to grab a four-shot lead but rolled the ball four feet past the cup and missed her comeback putt for her first bogey of the week to finish on 13-under 200 after 54 holes at Four Seasons Orlando. That left the 31-year-old from Seoul only two ahead of fift

Jan. 19, 2020

S. Korean rookie upsets reigning US Open champ in Presidents Cup singles

South Korean rookie Im Sung-jae defeated the reigning US Open champion Gary Woodland in the singles match at the Presidents Cup on Sunday, though Im's effort wasn't enough to get his International Team over the hump.Powered by a back-nine charge at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Im beat the American veteran 4 & 3 for his third win in five matches in his first Presidents Cup appearance.The biennial Presidents Cup pits a team of non-European international golfers against Americans in match play. A

Dec. 15, 2019

Woods sets Presidents Cup record, Americans make their move

MELBOURNE (AP) -- Tiger Woods set the Presidents Cup record for most victories and set the tone for his US team Sunday at Royal Melbourne.Woods seized control around the turn against Abraham Ancer and won, 3 and 2, in the first of 12 singles matches. The Americans need to win singles for the first time in 10 years to overcome a two-point deficit against the International team.Woods went 3-0 for the week as the first playing captain since Hale Irwin at the inaugural Presidents Cup in 1994. His si

Dec. 15, 2019

2 S. Korean rookies victorious in Presidents Cup debuts

MELBOURNE -- Two South Korean rookies earned a victory apiece on the opening day of the Presidents Cup golf competition here on Thursday, as the International Team jumped out to a surprising 4-1 lead over the heavily favored United States.Im Sung-jae teamed up with Adam Hadwin of Canada to defeat Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele 1-up in the second four-ball match of the day at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.Right behind them, An Byeong-hun and Adam Scott of Australia beat Tony Finau and Bryson D

Dec. 12, 2019

S. Korean An Byeong-hun determined to make most of new opportunity at Presidents Cup

MELBOURNE -- As a last-minute addition to the International Team at this week's Presidents Cup, South Korean golfer An Byeong-hun said Tuesday he is keen on capitalizing on his second chance.An was named as an injury replacement for Jason Day of Australia on Nov. 30, as International captain Ernie Els went with the South Korean just weeks after leaving him off the team.The Presidents Cup pits a team of a dozen non-European international players against the United States. This year's competition

Dec. 10, 2019

S. Korean Kim Sei-young wins LPGA season finale, hits $1.5m jackpot

South Korea's Kim Sei-young has captured the final tournament of the 2019 LPGA season, for her third title of the year and 10th of her career, hitting the jackpot with the largest purse in women's golf history.With a lengthy birdie putt on the 72nd hole, Kim completed a wire-to-wire victory at the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida, on Sunday (local time). The finishing birdie gave Kim a final round of two-under 70 for a four-day total of 18-under 280, one better than Charley Hull of

Nov. 25, 2019

World No. 1 Ko Jin-young goes for rare LPGA awards sweep in season finale

As the 2019 LPGA Tour season winds down, South Korean star Ko Jin-young will chase a rare sweep of major individual awards.Ko will tee off at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida, on Thursday (local time) as the No. 1 female player in the world.She has already clinched the LPGA Player of the Year award and also the Annika Major Award, given to the player with the best overall record at major tournaments each season. Ko won two of the five LPGA majors in 2019 and leads

Nov. 19, 2019

'It's crazy': Tiger Woods secures record 82nd US PGA Tour win in Japan

INZAI (AFP) -- Tiger Woods said it was "crazy"  after he made golfing history Monday by holding off the challenge of home favourite Hideki Matsuyama to win the weather-delayed Zozo Championship by three shots.The 15-time major winner Woods finished 19-under par to equal US legend Sam Snead's all-time record of 82 US PGA Tour victories set 54 years ago.Woods, in his first outing since arthroscopic knee surgery two months ago, broke into a huge smile after he safely got up and down

Oct. 28, 2019

US golfer Gillman gets 1st hole-in-one at LPGA event in S. Korea

Standing on the tee at the 180-yard, par-3 13th hole during the second round of the BMW Ladies Championship on Friday, all Kristen Gillman wanted to do was hit a high shot into the wind and let the ball land softly on the green. It didn't just drop on the green. The ball went into the hole for the American's golfer's first ace ever.And with that hole-in-one, the 22-year-old American LPGA golfer also won a luxury, BMW 7 Series sedan."I was in between my 5- and 4-hybrid, and I was like, 'I'm

Oct. 25, 2019

PGA Tour Rookie of the Year picked by fellow S. Koreans as favorite to win at home

SEOGWIPO -- With the PGA Tour making its annual stop in South Korea's Jeju Island this week, hometown hero Im Sung-jae was picked by his countrymen Tuesday as the title favorite.Im will be one of six full-time PGA Tour players from South Korea in the field at the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges. The 72-hole, no-cut tournament with $9.75 million at stake starts Thursday at the Club at Nine Bridges.The 21-year-old was voted by his peers as the 2018-2019 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year last month, becoming the f

Oct. 15, 2019

World No. 1 Ko Jin-young headlines field at lone LPGA stop in S. Korea

Ko Jin-young, the world No. 1 in women's golf from South Korea, will headline an 80-player field at an upcoming LPGA Tour event in her native country.Organizers of the inaugural BMW Ladies Championship on Monday announced the list of players to compete at the LPGA International Busan in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, from Oct. 24-27.Ko, who also leads the LPGA Tour in money, scoring average and the Player of the Year points in 2019, will be one of 50 LPGA members in the field, to be j

Oct. 14, 2019

Current, former world No. 1s in men's golf to compete in S. Korea this week

How often do you get to see the likes of Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Gary Woodland, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia in the same field in South Korea?How about once a year?The PGA Tour will make its lone annual stop this week on the resort island of Jeju, where the Club at Nine Bridges will host the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges from Thursday to Sunday. The no-cut event will be the sixth tournament of the 2019-2020 season.Koepka is the biggest name in the field of 78 at the $9.75 millio

Oct. 14, 2019

Hur Mi-jung captures 2nd LPGA win of season in Indiana

After going nearly five years without an LPGA victory, South Korean Hur Mi-jung has won twice in 2019.Hur's second title of the season came at the Indy Women in Tech Championship in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Sunday (local time). The 29-year-old enjoyed a wire-to-wire victory at Brickyard Crossing Golf Club, where she fired a four-round total of 21-under 267 to beat Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Norway by four strokes and take home $300,000. Hur won the Ladies Scottish Open in August to snap a title dr

Sept. 30, 2019

S. Korean Im Sung-jae loses in playoff on PGA Tour

South Korean Im Sung-jae has just missed out on his first career PGA Tour victory.Im lost to Sebastian Munoz in a sudden-death playoff at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday (local time), settling for his first runner-up finish instead. Im, the reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, started the final round in fifth place, four shots behind Munoz. The South Korean picked up five birdies on the front nine and three more down the stretch for a round of 66 to force a p

Sept. 23, 2019

Sorenstam, Park win foursome competition at exhibition golf event

The team of Annika Sorenstam and Park Sung-hyun won the foursome competition at an exhibition match featuring LPGA stars from the past and present.Sorenstam-Park combined to shoot 2-over 74 at the Seolhaeone·Cell Return Legends Match golf event Saturday at Seolhaeone Resort's Salmon and Seaview Courses in Yangyang, 215 kilometers east of Seoul in Gangwon Province. Sorenstam, a 72-time LPGA champion from Sweden, was part of the "LPGA Legends" team, which included fellow World Gol

Sept. 21, 2019