AFTERMATH OF PAK REVOLUTION

From the 16 LPGA Tour events played so far this year, only four have been won by Americans, so why are the US players struggling to win? I don’t pretend to know the answer, but I think the signs of a change were clear to see several years ago when players such as Pak Se-Ri came to America and showed thousands of young girls back home that through dedication and hard work fortune and success was possible.

South Koreans have won over 200 LPGA tournaments since trailblazers showed them that it could be done, and Pak was instrumental in changing the look of women’s golf by winning 25 titles.

Now retired, she kickstarted a golf revolution in South Korea when she

won the 1998 US Women’s Open at Blackwolf Run.

She left the game with US$12,583,713 in earnings, 123 top-10 finishes and 25 victories.

She was the first South Korean to be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame, and the impact of her 19-year career is unmatched in the women’s game.

So why does a country of 52 million people have a disproportionate share of the women’s world golf rankings and winning at least one major every season since 2010.

This phenomenon, players and commentators say, is the result of several factors — driven parents, intense training, a highly competitive society which includes the unstinting support and relentless encouragement of parents, who wait for hours while their children practise, shuttle them between venues and spend significant sums on coaching.

As in several Asian countries, this parallels the time, resources and pressure many parents pour into their children’s academic development in the attempt to secure a sought-after place at a top university.

Out of Bounds: The words “Should’ve, Could’ve and Would’ve” were made for golf.