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Since Pak Se-ri's U.S. Women's Open victory in 1998, women golfers from Korea have become an indispensable news item for the media covering the LPGA Tour. The initial interest was in how Asian women ended up getting so good, but with the number of Korean golfers rising to around 40 and capturing around 10 wins each season, Korean golfers have become the stars of the LPGA. Occasionally, the phenomenon has been viewed as a culture clash.
"Vicious training based on Asian industriousness," "English phobia," "awkward manners on the pro circuit," and "parents who have staked everything on their daughters" are just some of the clichés. The English language skills of Korean golfers became an international issue last year, when the LPGA Tour sought to make it mandatory for players to speak good English, later backtracking amid mounting criticism.
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Golfer Hong Jin-joo as featured in the Wall Street Journal
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The weekend Wall Street Journal describes the joys and sorrows of Korean pro golfers from the perspective of Hong Jin-joo (26) who has been competing in the tour since 2007. Titled "A Korean Star's Pain and Progress," the article details Hong's transformations since 2006, when she suddenly won the chance to compete in the LPGA Tour, describing how she coped with unfamiliar surroundings, different food and loneliness, to achieve her dreams.
"I sometimes regretted my decision to come to the States because I felt a lot of stress living there," Hong is quoted as saying. But after her game improved, she said she felt she could "play with these players." Hong said being interviewed in English was still something she really doesn't want to do. "In Korea, I'm popular in a way. In the States, I'm no one," she said. "But I don't regret leaving to play in the U.S. I don't really feel like it's work. I love it."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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