Former footballer opens new chapter as caddie

By Kang Seung-woo

Yun Seul-gi was once a promising junior footballer before an unexpected injury on the international stage cost him a bright future.

But the 31-year-old has rebounded on new turf, the golf course, as one of a few professional caddies in Korea.

“When I was a middle school senior, I was picked for the world junior football championships and hurt my left ankle during a match,” Yun said in an interview with The Korea Times.

The native of Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, was recruited by Hyundai Middle School in Ulsan, which has a prestigious youth football program, with high hopes of representing his country at the senior level.

“At that time, I had to rehabilitate my ankle for about two years, but I could not afford to just nurse it because I had to proceed with high school, so I stopped after 18 months of recovery,” he said.

After quitting football, Yun dabbled with bowling, but a six-month trial with the sport was enough for him to turn to golf in order to get a university degree and was eventually admitted to Dong-A University in Busan, majoring in sociology and physical education in 1999.

While searching for work after his military service, Yun met a man who guided him to his current job.

“While I was undecided on what to do for a living, my professor, Choi Sang-bum, called me one day and introduced me to the job,” he said.

According to him, the professor is one of the pioneering caddies in Korea and he carried the bag for Lee Dong-hwan when he won the Amateur Golf Championship in Japan in 2004.

“At that time, the local tours were not as big and popular as now and I dabbled with caddying, but I quickly fell in love with it,” said Yun, who began his professional career in 2007.

Yun has built a stellar resume over the last five years.

In 2008, he helped Hur In-hoi lift the trophy at the Philos Open Golf Championship on the KPGA Tour and he caddied for Ahn Shin-ae when she was triumphant in 2010 at the SBS Tour Hidden Valley Ladies Open and the High1 Resort Cup SBS Charity Ladies Open.

Last year, he was the caddie for Lee Hyeon-ju, who finished second at the Hyundai E&C-Seoul Economy Ladies Open.

In January 2012, Yun signed a one-year contract with Park Eun-shin, a three-year pro who has secured seeding on the Korean, Japanese and Asian Tours for this year. With Park preparing for the PGA qualifying school later this year, he has set sights on becoming the first Korean caddie on the U.S. PGA Tour.

“I want to be the first Korean-born professional caddie on the PGA Tour and help my player claim a title there,” he said.

Korea has gained a footing on the U.S. men’s and women’s professional golf circuits, producing high-profile golfers such as Pak Se-ri, Choi Kyoung-ju and Choi Na-yeon, but it is still unfamiliar with professional caddying. Currently, there are only five professional caddies on the local tours, according to Yun.

On the back of his experience, Yun has a long-term plan to produce more professional caddies.

“On the local tours, many parents caddy for their son or daughter because there are few professional caddies due to a lack of a place to train them although some people still want to become professional caddies,” he said.

“Currently, there are many golf-linked departments at local universities and I think we can take advantage of them in nurturing professional caddies as well as tour players.

“I definitely believe that the local tours will grow bigger and I have a plan to specialize in the area, or train caddies, at schools.”