I’ve said more than once that the KLPGA is the second strongest women’s golf association in the world and even though I don’t believe wholeheartedly in the Rolex process, the rankings of that tour’s top players blew my opinion out of the water. The top players in the JLPGA are ranked much higher and at first glance it would appear that even the LET could beat out the KLPGA.
How could such a hotbed of golfing talent show so poorly? Every league can have a down year but the explanation is simply, Economics. The stars of the KLPGA always leave after a year or two (I believe there is a requirement for a member to stay a certain length of time or risk losing the right to play any Korean events) for the greener pastures of Japan or, most often, the United States. Women’s golf is such a draw in Japan that the purses there are at least comparable to the lesser ones of the LPGA, so they lose far fewer players overseas. The LET seems to suffer less than the KLPGA on this front, but the combined economies of Europe are also better suited to support them than the single nation of South Korea ever could. Obviously - if Jee Young Lee, Seon Hwa Lee and Song-Hee Kim were still playing regularly there, the KLPGA would be the powerhouse tour I believed it was.
I’m going to venture outside my usual sphere now, and it’s likely that some of you are going to get angry with me. Despite what the media will tell you, the Korean Golf Boom is only minutely the result of a nation enthralled with the sudden success of one of its daughters ten years ago. It’s primarily an economically-driven mindset to seek out a better life for their children (and sometimes selfishly for themselves) than the war-torn existence of their parents and the astronomically high economic ladder their own generation had to climb. Se Ri Pak gave them the map and Mi Hyun Kim confirmed the directions but their accomplishments primarily showed Mom and Dad a road that was paved with gold, not fairway grass.
If it sounds like I’m labeling Koreans as greedy, that is not my intention. They are only looking for a quality of life better than what they already had (who isn’t?), and I have to respect anybody who works so diligently in pursuit of that. Any generalized statement about a nation or culture borders on racism or at the very least nationalism so I have to tread carefully here. To show my good faith - why do Suzann Pettersen, Karen Stupples and Annika Sorenstam play here? Why don’t Paula Creamer or Laura Diaz play more events internationally? The “correct” answer to both questions is “to play against the best in the world” but the true answer is “the money is better here than in Europe or Japan”. Well, the money is REALLY better here than it is in South Korea.
I’m sure you can give me an affluent exception or five among the four dozen LPGA Koreans (Grace Park is one) just as I could rattle off a couple of American players who came from less than privileged beginnings (I’ll start with Nancy Lopez). Not that already being affluent ever stopped anybody from desiring more wealth. But it is time to stop labeling the Korean Boom purely as a collective of innocent little girls emulating their hero and recognize it as the economic phenomenon it is.
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7 comments:
The accomplishments of the South Korean players on the JLPGA are quite impressive: Ji-Hee Lee is having the best season of the bunch so far, money-wise, but I rank Bo-Bae Song ahead of her and Mi-Jeong Jeon's recent win gives her a shot to join them in the top 10. Hyun-Ju Shin and Eun-A Lim are both top 20 players, as well. Lim regularly played on the KLPGA until this season, according to Eric at Seoul Sisters, which supports your case that money/opportunity is a huge factor. As they're all ranked in the 50-100 range in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index, they are among the world's elite for sure. They'd certainly offer Shin some strong competition on the KLPGA.
It's too bad the GSPI doesn't include KLPGA results. Since they've joined the LPGA, though, Ji-Yai Shin at #6, Na Yeon Choi at #12, and Eun-Hee Ji at #28 have made a big impact already. Amy Yang at #22 also has started high, thanks mostly to her fantastic LET play.
One other factor that's tied to economics: it's really hard to get on a course in Korea, so even practicing and preparing for a professional career is difficult there. That's partly why Yang lived, golfed, and went to school in Australia for awhile (along with other less-heralded players from Korea). If Korea was wealthier or its wealth was spread more evenly, there'd be more courses and more opportunities for young women to grow their games at home.
TC said: "One other factor that's tied to economics: it's really hard to get on a course in Korea, so even practicing and preparing for a professional career is difficult there."
Interesting. Last year I drove cart at a FUTURES Tour tournament. Mindy Kim, the current Tour money leader, was in one of my threesomes. Her father, who only spoke Korean, carried her bag. She was 17 at the time and anyone who watched her for a couple of holes could tell she has talent. I wondered why the family had left Korea and was pursuing Mindy's career in the US. When TC said course availability is limited in Korea, then it made sense. Her cousin is on the bag this year. It's starting to feel like getting her to LPGA success is a family project.
Yeah, didn't Futures Tour star Vicky Hurst also spend some time in Australia, too?
Here's a p.s. to your post (focusing on under-22 Japanese prospects):
http://mlyhlss.blogspot.com/2008/06/top-japanese-under-22-golfers-facing.html
Obviously the greater economic opportunity is the main reason for so many Korean golfers on LPGA tour. It's interesting, though, that they have concentrated on golf so much - perhaps the most expensive sport in the world (other than auto/moto sports). The reason for that is surely example of Se Ri and other early pioneers.
I don't think it's fair to call Korea poor any more, but unlike US it's very densely populated and land is probably expensive. Not the best conditions for abundance of golf courses...
Would you believe that a Korean in the mid-600s in the Rolex Rankings has a chance to steal a win from Shiho Oyama, Sakura Yokomine, and Momoko Ueda tomorrow in Kobe? And at 2 shots back, Lim and Song have the best chance of anyone in the field to become the JLPGA's first repeat winner of 2008?
Oh, and with Na Yeon Choi and Se Ri Pak competing on the KLPGA this week, we should get some indication of just how good Ji-Yai Shin, Ha-Neul Kim, Sun Ju Ahn, So Yeon Ryu, etc. really are!
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