LPGA stars promise 'great golf'

World No. 1 golfer Park In-bee, right, speaks at a press conference at the Sky 72 Golf Club’s media center in Incheon, Monday. Park is set to appear in the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship, the only LPGA event held in Korea, from Thursday through Sunday. / Yonhap

By Kwon Ji-youn

INCHEON ― The LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship will tee off Thursday at the Ocean Course of the Sky 72 Golf Club in Incheon, and this year, Korea’s only LPGA tournament will be all about “great golf.”

Speaking to press Monday at the golf club’s media center, world No. 1 Park In-bee and No. 2 Lydia Ko stressed that they are here to show their fans some great golf and will not fixate on their rankings.

“I realized that being aware of what titles I have and need to defend has sacrificed my game in a way,” Park said. “I lose concentration by paying attention to something that isn’t really pivotal to the game. Over the last two or three years, I haven’t been able to enjoy myself during the Asian swing, but this year, I won the British Open and completed a career grand slam, and so I really don’t want to be sidestepped and want to enjoy myself.”

Ko agreed that great golf is what this tournament will be all about.

“The world rankings between Park and I are so close, and so there is a lot being said about that,” said Ko, a Korean-born New Zealander with nine LPGA wins to her name. “But when we’re out there, we want to play some good golf and try to enjoy it. If we keep thinking about what each putt will do to the rankings, we can’t enjoy the golf.”

She added, “I’m not trying to be humble, but I think Park deserves the top ranking. When you’ve had a great year like she has, and you’ve played consistently well over the last several years, you deserve it.”

Park and Ko were joined at the conference by 2015 U.S. Women’s Open winner Chun In-gee, world No. 4 Ryu So-yeon and Hall of Fame golfer Juli Inkster.

“What I love about Korea is the way they embrace their players,” said Inkster, who attended the Presidents Cup at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea over the weekend. “Koreans are very well-spoken and their work ethic, fundamentals and technique are amazing. There is so much respect for women’s golf and I wish the U.S. would do more of that. I couldn’t believe how many people knew my name out there.”

Ryu attributed such nationalism behind women’s golf to legend Pak Se-ri, who put it on the map with her 1998 win at the U.S. Women’s Open

“And this was during the Asian financial crisis,” she said. “Fans love to see Korean players doing so well on the other side of the world.”

Park emphasized that there is room for improvement in Korean golf.

“Korea is a small country compared to the U.S., so word spreads so much quicker,” she said. “But I know how big football and baseball is in the U.S., so I think we still have a lot of room for improvement. We need more tournaments and event venues here to have more people enjoy golf, like the Presidents or Solheim Cups, which can draw a lot more people in Korea.

“Women’s golf is so big here, but the men’s competition is not as big, misunderstood. I wish people knew how great our men’s golf is.”

The KEB Hana Bank Championship carries great weight with Park, who married her swing coach the Monday before this very tournament last year.

“The LPGA is U.S.-based, but at least once a year we get to play in front of our families and Korean fans, which is a great experience,” she said. “This is my ninth appearance at the championship, the only LPGA tournament in Korea, and so I have a lot of affection for it.”

All five golfers said it was too difficult to predict who will come out on top at the end of the week.

“I can’t say who will win but I can promise fans will see some great golf this weekend,” said Chun, who was runner-up last year.

Ko added, “It’s a tough course and it can get very windy, so someone very creative will be the winner.”

Regarding her putting, Park agreed it has been holding her back, which is why she was spotted working on it Monday.

“At the Evian Championship, I struggled with my putting and I thought it couldn’t get worse, but I struggled again in Malaysia,” she said. “But I’m hitting well and my short game is strong, so I wanted to go out there to see what I can change. But that’s not easy.”

The KEB Hana Bank Championship, set for Thursday through Sunday, is a part of the LPGA’s Asian swing. It will be followed by stops in Taiwan, China and Japan.