By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff Reporter
The top-10 list of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour typically features half Western players and the other the hard-to-pronounce names of Koreans.
In particular, three different Korean golfers won as many LPGA titles in succession in June and July. So what lies beneath the notable successes of Korean female players?
Full-time parental support, Confucian self-restraint and the financial backing of corporations are the key to their success, according to the Samsung Economic Research Institute (SERI) Thursday.
"First and foremost, fathers played a pivotal role by encouraging their daughters to start golf at an early age. The so-called golf daddies also made all-out efforts to support their daughters full-time," SERI researcher Lee Min-hoon said.
"The players themselves also have virtues of an unparalleled work ethic as well as self-restraint, which seem to have something to do with the country's Confucian tradition."
As examples of dedicated dads, Lee picked those of Pak Se-ri and Michelle Wie. The former is famous for getting Spartan golf training and the latter started the sport at the age of five, both thanks to their fathers.
Pak Se-ri has chalked up 24 LPGA wins over the past decade and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2007, while the long-hitting Michelle Wie is an emerging star.
Ji Eun-hee, who took the U.S. Open title this year, has the same kind of father as Pak ― he got the young Ji to practice her swing hundreds of times even after she played a full game.
As far as hard work and abstention are concerned, SERI researcher Lee pointed out that the characteristics apply to almost all Korean golfers in the United States.
"All work and no play may make Jack a dull boy. But that is not the case for Korean female golfers. They are workhorses who pay attention only to golf," Lee said.
"For instance, Shin Ji-yai got over the misery of losing her mother in a car accident through playing golf harder and harder. That is the secret of her success."
Already a legendary player in Korea, LPGA rookie Shin won the Wegmans LPGA event in late June and is regarded as one of the most competitive players.
And last but not least, Korean companies have doled out lucrative sponsorship contracts to prominent players, thus helping them play without financial worries.
"A telecom operator, a bank and a beverage producer, all from Korea, sponsored our female golfers before they rose to stardom. That really helps the players," Lee said, pointing out that companies such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Hyundai Motor don't sponsor the country's top female golfers.
"It is mysterious that major exporters do not mint a contract with the players, who would give them great media attention."