[Newsmaker] S. Korean Im Sung-jae finishes runner-up at PGA Tour season finale

South Korean Im Sung-jae has just missed out on PGA Tour history, finishing runner-up in the season finale in a bid to become the first Asian champion of the FedEx Cup. Despite a strong late push, Im ended in a tie for second place at the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on Sunday (local time) at 20-under, one behind the champion, Rory McIlroy. The winner of the Tour Championship, which followed three playoff tournaments, is also crowned the FedEx Cup champion. McIlroy took ho

Aug. 29, 2022

Young veteran on PGA Tour pushed by rising star

For the past couple of years, Im Sung-jae has been hands down the best South Korean player on the PGA Tour, a consistent workhorse hanging around the top 20 in the world rankings with no countryman nearby. Today, Im has company: the 20-year-old sensation Kim Joo-hyung. Last week, Kim, on the heels of his first PGA Tour win at the Wyndham Championship, reached a career-high No. 19 in the world rankings to supplant Im, who stayed at No. 20, as the top South Korean. The two golfers traded places th

Aug. 25, 2022

LPGA major runner-up Chun In-gee reaches No. 10 in world rankings

South Korean LPGA player Chun In-gee has cracked the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time in over four years, on the heels of a runner-up finish at the season's final major championship. Chun climbed a spot to reach No. 10 in the latest world rankings released Tuesday. The last time she had ranked inside the top 10 was in March 2018, when she was No. 8. Chun sat as high as No. 3 on different occasions in late 2016 and early 2017. Chun began this year ranked 35th. On Sunday in Sco

Aug. 9, 2022

[Newsmaker] S. Korean Kim Joo-hyung captures 1st PGA Tour title

  Powered by an impressive birdie flurry, South Korean phenom Kim Joo-hyung has seized his first career PGA Tour title. Kim shot a blistering final round of nine-under 61 to capture the Wyndham Championship by five shots over countryman Im Sung-jae and Korean-American John Huh at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Sunday (local time). Kim finished at 20-under 260 and cashed in a winner's check of US$1,314,000. Kim jumped 13 spots in the world rankings to reach a caree

Aug. 8, 2022

S. Korean Chun In-gee finishes runner-up at final LPGA major of '22

South Korean LPGA star Chun In-gee has finished in second place at the final major of the season in Scotland, losing out on a chance to make history and join an exclusive company. Chun lost to Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa on the fourth playoff hole at the AIG Women's Open at Muirfield in East Lothian, Scotland, on Sunday (local time). After finishing regulation knotted at 10-under 274, the two players played the par-four 18th hole four times in the sudden-death playoff. They matched each

Aug. 8, 2022

S. Korean players taking season's last shot at LPGA major in Scotland

Eighteen players from South Korea, including four winners this year, will take their season's last shot at an LPGA major in Scotland this week. The AIG Women's Open will tee off at the historic Muirfield in East Lothian, Scotland, on Thursday, as the fifth and final major of the 2022 LPGA season. The par-71, 6,728-yard course will host world No. 1 from South Korea, Ko Jin-young, and champions from the four previous majors this season: Jennifer Kupcho of the United States, Minjee Lee of

Aug. 3, 2022

Long drought over, S. Korean star Chun In-gee goes for 2nd straight LPGA major in France

After ending a title drought that had stretched for nearly four years, South Korean LPGA star Chun In-gee will take aim at her second straight major title in France this week. Chun headlines the 20-deep South Korean contingent at the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, starting Thursday. Chun won the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in June, for her third career major and her fourth title overall. It was also Chun's first LPGA win since October

July 20, 2022

Pro golfer Lydia Ko to wed Hyundai Card chief‘s son

Lydia Ko, a Korean-born New Zealand professional golfer, is getting married with Chung Jun, Hyundai Card Vice Chairman Chung Tae-young’s youngest son. According to industry sources, Ko and Chung’s wedding ceremony is set to be held at Myeongdong Cathedral in central Seoul in Dec. 30. The two are reported to have been in a relationship for over two years. In August 2021, Ko uploaded a selfie with Chung on her Instagram story with the word “soon.” Ko was born in Seoul in

June 28, 2022

Newest LPGA major champion Chun In-gee climbs to No. 12 in world rankings

Fresh off her third career LPGA major title, South Korean golfer Chun In-gee has soared to No. 12 in the latest world rankings. Chun, crowned the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in Maryland on Sunday, jumped 21 spots in the rankings announced Tuesday. That's Chun's highest position this season, and her first appearance inside the top 20 since February 2019. Chun started the 2022 season ranked 35th. Chun held off Minjee Lee of Australia and Lexi Thompson of the United States by one s

June 28, 2022

Chun In-gee 'proud' to capture LPGA major after bout of depression

Even in her darkest moments, Chun In-gee never lost sight of her goal -- to return to the winner's circle on the LPGA Tour. The 27-year-old South Korean has finally accomplished that by capturing the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in Bethesda, Maryland, on Sunday (local time). The one-stroke victory over Lexi Thompson of the United States and Minjee Lee of Australia was Chun's third career LPGA major title and the fourth tour win overall -- but her first since October 2018. "G

June 27, 2022

[Newsmaker] S. Korean Chun In-gee wins 3rd career LPGA major

South Korean Chun In-gee has captured her third career LPGA major in Maryland, ending the country's drought in big tournaments at seven in the process. Chun won the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in wire-to-wire fashion, as she closed out her victory with a final round of 3-over 75 at the Congressional Country Club's Blue Course in Bethesda, Maryland, on Sunday (local time). At 5-under 283 for the championship, Chun beat Lexi Thompson of the United States and Minjee Lee of Australia by one stroke

June 27, 2022

S. Korean players to take another crack at snapping LPGA major-less skid this week

South Korean players' bid to snap a long winless skid at LPGA major championships will resume this week in Maryland, where the KPMG Women's PGA Championship will tee off Thursday. The Congressional Country Club's Blue Course in Bethesda, Maryland, will host the third major tournament of the 2022 season. The last South Korean champion of an LPGA major tournament is Kim A-lim from the 2020 U.S. Women's Open. Though the U.S. Women's Open is typically played in June, it was

June 22, 2022

Teenage golfer finishes as top S. Korean at US Open

Teenager Kim Joo-hyung has ended his first US Open as the highest-ranked South Korean player. Kim finished alone in 23rd place at the 122nd US Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, on Sunday (local time), with a four-round total of three-over 283. Kim, who turns 20 on Tuesday, traded three birdies with three bogeys for an even-par final round of 70. He had opened the third major of the season with a 72, and followed it up with 68 and 73. This was Kim's US Open debut. He had

June 20, 2022

S. Korea's lone LPGA tournament to switch venues every year

South Korea's only LPGA Tour event will be held at different courses each year starting this fall, the tournament organizers said Thursday, in a nod to major championships. BMW Korea said the third edition of the BMW Ladies Championship will be played Oct. 20-23 this year, but added it will announce the new venue at the end of June. The first two competitions were held at LPGA International Busan in Busan, some 325 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The event was inaugurated in 2019, but the 20

June 9, 2022

S. Korea's LPGA major winless skid reaches 7 at US Women's Open

South Korean players' winless streak at LPGA major tournaments has reached seven. Tour rookie Choi Hye-jin was the top South Korean player at the US Women's Open at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina, on Sunday (local time). She finished alone in third place at seven-under 277, six behind the champion from Australia, Minjee Lee. Choi had three birdies and two bogeys for a final round of one-under 70. World No. 1 from South Korea, Ko Jin-young, finished a s

June 6, 2022

S. Korean stars looking to end LPGA major drought at oldest championship

South Korean LPGA stars will seek to end the country's major championship drought this week at the oldest of the five big tournaments. Twenty-two players from South Korea will compete in the US Women's Open, which tees off Thursday at Pine Needles Lodge & Country Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina. South Korea, long a dominant force in women's golf, has been shut out at the last six majors, the longest such drought since the country's golfers were denied at seven consecut

June 1, 2022

Ji Eun-hee captures 6th LPGA win in match-play tournament

South Korean veteran Ji Eun-hee has collected her sixth career LPGA victory at a match-play tournament in Las Vegas. Ji defeated Ayaka Furue of Japan 3&2 in the final of the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Sin City on Sunday (local time). Ji took home a winner's check of $225,000. The competition began with three days of round-robin action, followed by knockout matches on Saturday and Sunday. In the semifinals held earlier Sunday, Ji defeated Andrea Lee of the Un

May 30, 2022

S. Koreans out of contention at PGA Championship as Lee Kyoung-hoon ties for 41st

South Korea's Lee Kyoung-hoon tied for 41st place at the second major tournament of the men's golf season, finishing as the top player from the country. Lee shot a final round of two-over 72 at the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Sunday (local time), for a four-day total of five-over 285. Lee hadn't made the cut at his five previous major appearances. This time, fresh off a win at the AT&T Byron Nelson the week prior, Lee opened with a solid

May 23, 2022

Family affair: Lee Kyoung-hoon celebrates 2nd career PGA Tour win in front of baby daughter, parents

On May 16, 2021, South Korean golfer Lee Kyoung-hoon picked up his first career PGA Tour title at AT&T Byron Nelson in Texas, with his pregnant wife, Yu Joo-yeon, watching. Almost exactly one year later, on Sunday, Lee defended his trophy at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. This time, Lee did so with the newest member of his family, the 10-month-old daughter Celine Yu-na, and also his mother and father on hand. "It's an amazing feeling. It still feels like a dream," Lee, 30, sai

May 16, 2022

S. Korean Lee Kyoung-hoon defends PGA Tour title in Texas

South Korean Lee Kyoung-hoon has successfully defended a PGA Tour title in Texas, holding off former world No. 1 Jordan Spieth for his second career victory. Lee shot a bogey-free round of nine-under 63 in the final round of the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, on Sunday (local time). Lee's day featured seven birdies and an eagle. At 26-under 262, Lee beat Spieth by one stroke. Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, the 2021 Masters champion, was another stroke back at 24-under.

May 16, 2022