South Korea has produced the past four LPGA Rookie of the Year Award winners. And Lee Jeong-eun wants to extend the streak to five in 2019.After dominating the Korea LPGA Tour over the past two seasons, Lee, 22, will take her talent to the US competition this year. She won the revamped LPGA qualifying tournament, named Q-Series, in Nov. and will now try to prove that her talent can translate to the world's premier circuit. (Yonhap)At a press conference in Seoul on Thursday discussing her goals f

Lee Jeong-eun, one of the best players on the South Korean women's golf tour over the past two years, decided on Wednesday to take her talent to the United States.In a statement released by her agency, Crowning, the 22-year-old winner of the LPGA qualifying tournament said she will play on the U.S. tour full-time starting in 2019. (KLPGA)Lee, the 2017 Korea LPGA Player of the Year, won the LPGA Q-Series earlier this month, earning a full-fledged card for the world's premier women's golf tour for

Local favorite Nasa Hataoka shot a 5-under 67 on Sunday to win the Japan Classic for her second LPGA title of the season.Hataoka offset a pair of bogeys with seven birdies at the Seta Golf Club to finish at 14-under 202, two strokes ahead of compatriots Momoka Ueda, Saki Nagamine and Spain's Carlota Ciganda, who all shot 68. (AP-Yonhap)Hataoka, who also won the Arkansas Championship in June, started the final round four strokes behind second-round leader Minjee Lee. Lee quickly faded, playing th

South Korean golfer Lee Jeong-eun has won the qualifying event for the LPGA Tour for next season, though she isn't yet sure if she'll take her talent to the top competition right away.Lee, the reigning Korea LPGA Tour Player of the Year and world No. 19, won the inaugural LPGA Q-Series with an eight-round total of 18-under 558 at Pinehurst Course in Pinehurst, North Carolina, on Saturday (local time). (Yonhap)The Q-Series replaced the three-step qualifying tournament, more commonly known as Q-Sc

South Korea's Park Sung-hyun has slipped from the No. 1 ranking in the women's world golf rankings.Park fell a spot to No. 2 in the latest rankings announced Tuesday, with Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand taking her place at the top. South Korea`s Park Sung-hyun, left, and Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand (Yonhap)Park, the 2017 LPGA Player of the Year, had been No. 1 since Aug. 20.Jutanugarn has 8.06 ranking points, while Park has 7.90 points.There were three other South Koreans inside the top 10: Ryu S

The LPGA Tour announced Wednesday South Korean golfer Ko Jin-young has clinched its Rookie of the Year award with four tournaments left in the 2018 season.Ko leads the race with 1,137 points, and Georgia Hall, who's 383 points behind in second place, will not catch Ko because she will only play in the season finale, the CME Group Tour Championship. (Yonhap)Rookies earn 150 points for tour victories, 80 points for runner-up finishes, 75 points for third place and so forth. Points are doubled at t

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island -- Brooks Koepka locked down the No. 1 spot in the men's world golf rankings with his first PGA Tour win of the season in South Korea on Sunday, aided by a thrilling chip-in birdie down the stretch.Koepka, the 2017-2018 PGA Tour Player of the Year, captured the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges with a four-round total of 21-under 267, four strokes ahead of Gary Woodland, whose furious charge ultimately fell just short.Koepka shot a final round of eight-under 64 at the Club at Nine Brid

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Province -- PGA Tour star Justin Thomas battled through windy conditions to win a tournament in South Korea last year. And he doesn't think Mother Nature will be any different this time around.Thomas is back as the defending champion at the $9.5 million CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, which begins Thursday at the Club at Nine Bridges on the southern island of Jeju.The world No. 4 shot a blistering nine-under 63 in the first round a year ago, before ballooning to 74 and 70 over the next two

INCHEON -- Crowd favorite Chun In-gee captured her first LPGA title in two years at home Sunday.Chun won the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship at 16-under 272 at Sky 72 Golf Club's Ocean Course, adjacent to Incheon International Airport. Chun finished three shots ahead of Charley Hull of England, who held the 54-hole lead at 12-under.Chun carded a 66 in the final round thanks to seven birdies and one bogey, and took home $300,000 in the winner's check. (Yonhap)The world's top two players, Park Sun

INCHEON -- World No. 1 Park Sung-hyun grabbed a share of the second round lead at an LPGA tournament on home soil on Friday.Park reached eight-under after shooting her second straight round of four-under 68 at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship at Sky 72 Golf Club's Ocean Course, adjacent to Incheon International Airport. Park had six birdies against two bogeys at the par-72 course, which played at 6,251 yards Friday.Park is joined at the top by three competitors: world No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn o

INCHEON -- Park Sung-hyun, world No. 1 in women's golf, was enjoying a strong opening round at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship on Thursday, when she ran into trouble at the penultimate hole.The scenic par-three 17th at Sky 72 Club's Ocean Course in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, is famous for a giant bunker that stretches from just in front of the tee to the mouth of the small green. But there was nothing scenic about Park's double bogey there, after a botched tee shot and what Park c

The world's top two female golfers will play together this week in the opening round of the only annual LPGA tournament in South Korea.Park Sung-hyun of South Korea and Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the world, will be in the final group in Thursday's first round of the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship at Sky 72 Golf Club's Ocean Course in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, the tour announced Wednesday. Park Sung-hyun of South Korea speaks at a press conference ahead of t

Host South Korea captured the LPGA's UL International Crown for the first time on Sunday, thanks to a strong finish down the stretch that ensured a comfortable victory.Much to the delight of tens of thousands of partisan fans at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, South Korea clinched the title with two out of four singles matches still remaining. South Korea's golf players celebrate after they win the UL International Crown tournament at Jack Nicklaus Golf Clu

Inclement weather caused by typhoon Kong-rey wiped out Saturday's action at an LPGA team competition in South Korea.The LPGA announced the cancellation of play on Saturday at the UL International Crown for 32 golfers in the field at rain-soaked Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul. It said the course was inundated by heavy rain overnight and the forecast called for strong winds later in the day.The LPGA moved up tee times for the second round of four-ball action

New Zealand golf star Lydia Ko said Tuesday she wants to make a special memory in her country of birth by winning a major tournament on the South Korean tour. 　Ko will make her first Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association tour appearance in South Korea when she tees off at the 19th Hite Jinro Championship this week. The event, which is one of the five KLPGA major tournaments, will be held at Blue Heron Golf Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, from Thursday to Sunday. 　Ko did have one KLPGA win