Even the president of the United States wants to know why the South Koreans have passed the Americans in women’s golf.
That’s what Se Ri Pak shared with reporters after she met President Donald Trump in South Korea last weekend.
South Koreans have won nearly half the LPGA events staged this year (eight of 17), including two of the three major championships. Americans have won two.
“We talked about Korean players,” Pak said. “And he was wondering why American players aren’t playing as well as South Koreans.”
Pak made the comments Wednesday during a news conference announcing a new “Legends” vs. “Next Generation” exhibition in South Korea in the fall.
Yonhap News reported that Pak didn’t divulge how she answered Trump’s question, but she did say the conversation might be extended to a future date.
“He told me he’d like to play with me, but I don’t know if it’s possible, given the position he’s in,” Pak said. “But since he loves golf so much, maybe it will happen someday.”
Pak, 41, the LPGA Hall of Famer who inspired South Korea’s dominance in the women’s game, revealed that she plays very little since announcing her retirement three seasons ago. She did say she would be joining Annika Sorenstam, Juli Inkster and Lorena Ochoa on an “LPGA Legends” team that will take on a “Next Generation” team that will include Rolex world No. 1 Sung Hyun Park, Ariya Jutanugarn, Lexi Thompson and Minjee Lee, according to Yonhap News. The event is scheduled for Sept. 21-22 at Seolhaeone Resort in Yangyang, South Korea.
Pak hit one of the ceremonial tee shots at the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April and is the coach of the Korean Olympic women’s golf team. She’s also working on building a sports training academy near Seoul.
“I always knew that I would only retire when I was certain I wouldn’t have any regrets,” Pak said. “My entire life revolved around golf when I was playing, and I poured every bit of myself into that pursuit. So once I retired, I didn’t miss it at all. I wanted to live a life away from golf, too.”