U.S. Women’s Open Win by Pak in 1998 Resonated in South Korea

Instead of patriotic displays of flag waving and marching soldiers, the anthem is accompanied by a video of Se Ri Pak removing her shoes to hit a shot from the edge of a water hazard on the 18th hole at Blackwolf Run.

That image shows how important Pak’s 1998 United States Women’s Open victory is to South Korea’s national image. When Pak won that tournament here in a 20-hole playoff, defeating another 20-year-old, Jenny Chuasiriporn, in the longest playoff in Open history, she opened the floodgates for the so-called Asian Invasion of women’s golf.

Pak was one of three South Koreans entered in that United States Open 14 years ago. When the tournament began Thursday, 28 South Koreans were in the field. But that is not the only indication of the transformation of the sport, which 20 years ago was almost exclusively an American club.

Since Pak’s victory in 1998, there have been four more United States Women’s Open champions from South Korea, including the defending champion So Yeon Ryu. All four of those championships have come in the last seven years.

Currently in the Rolex women’s world golf rankings, South Koreans hold 4 of the top 10 spots, 10 of the top 25 spots and 36 of the top 100 spots. Only 16 Americans are ranked in the top 100.

The South Korean dominance is reflected on the L.P.G.A.’s official money list. Through last week’s Northwest Arkansas Championship, South Koreans occupied 3 of the top 10 spots. Of the L.P.G.A.’s 128 full-time players, 42 are South Korean.

But Pak’s 1998 victory seems to have influenced players beyond South Korea. Fifteen of the players on the L.P.G.A.’s top 20 money list are Asians, including No. 1 Ai Miyazato ($1,035,727) of Japan and No. 2 Yani Tseng ($1,005,527) of Taiwan.

Of the last 50 majors, nine Americans have won 12 times, nine South Koreans have won 11 times, and the remaining 27 titles are divided among players from other parts of the world. South Koreans have averaged seven L.P.G.A. wins a season since 1998.

Pak, 34, said she never expected the amount of success she had achieved. She has won 25 L.P.G.A. events and has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. She said her victory in 1998 “was the turning point for Korean golf.”

“When I heard I inspire all those young players in Korea, it put so much pressure on me,” Pak said. “I was very proud of what I did, but at the same time, I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing for those kids. I feel like Se Ri Pak was born in 1998 on July 6 at Blackwolf Run.”

Ryu, who is seventh on the money list, is the most successful South Korean on the tour these days, but she is quick to credit Pak, whose nickname is the Legend.

“It’s definitely the 1998 U.S. Women’s Open,” Ryu said when asked what pointed her in the direction of professional golf.

She said of her victory in last year’s Open: “It was huge for me, because she’s my hero. So that moment is really, really special for me.”

Ryu also said that Pak’s playoff victory over Chuasiriporn, a daughter of Thai immigrants, was the turning point for South Korean golf.

“Before 1998,” Ryu said, “golf was actually not a famous sport in Korea. But after she won, golf is now a really famous sport, and that’s why I am here.”

For Ryu, Pak’s 1998 victory was a life-altering event. At the time, she had just turned 8 and was an aspiring violinist. According to her official biography, she traded her violin for golf clubs because of Pak.

“Actually, yes, that’s true,” Ryu said. “At that moment, just golf is my hobby and violin my dream. But now violin is my hobby, golf is my dream, my job. So totally changed.”

If there is a resentment of the South Koreans’ success, it is strictly below the surface and kept inside the recesses of the players’ locker room. But there are cultural differences, perhaps the greatest being the all-consuming, all-business attitude of the South Koreans.

Most of the South Koreans, like Ryu, are chosen at a young age to be golfers. They spend countless hours on the practice range, perfecting their swings under the watch of a strict parent or coach.

When players graduate to the L.P.G.A. or the developmental Symetra Tour, they are almost always accompanied by a parent, usually their father, who serves as a caddie and guardian. Ostensibly, the parent is there to help the player adjust to the rigors of travel and a foreign culture, but they also are there to make sure the player does not cut corners on the practice range.

The doggedness of some of the parents may be acceptable in Korean culture, but it has raised questions in the United States. At the Open this week, the American golfer Juli Inkster discussed the differences between the approaches in the two countries.

“When I was raising my kids, I had them in ballet, dance, music, sports — they were in everything,” she said. “Over there, if you play golf, you play golf. That’s what you do. And you do it all day.

“And whether that’s right or wrong or indifferent, or whatever, that’s just the way they are brought up. Technically, they are brought up very sound. They just go to the driving range and they hit balls and they hit balls. And their swings are perfect. They’re just great golfers. That’s what they do.”

Inkster, the winner of eight majors in her 30-year pro career, added: “‘Ninety-eight. That set Asia on fire as far as women’s golf. It’s been nonstop ever since.”

With the rock star status South Koreans enjoy in their native land and the success they are having in the United States, it is unlikely their golf craze will be scaling back anytime soon.

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