The Boys From Busan

Listen to Kim speak and he’s as Californian as they come. But while you can take the boy out of Korea, you can’t take Korea out of the boy.
“Obviously when I get to come back here, it’s a great time for me, I get to learn where my parents are from, and where my roots are from. Obviously the tournament didn’t go like how I wanted and planned, but life goes on and I’m going to have a great time with my parents and my friends.”
Asian Tour veteran Anthony Kang has witnessed the rise of Korean golf first hand. A two-time winner in Asia, Kang was born in Korea but educated in the USA. Kim’s success is—to belabour the original point—no bolt from the blue.
“There’s a lot of new players coming up at a younger age, be it from Korea or Australia or the USA following in footsteps of KJ Choi and the doors he’s opened for everybody,” Kang says.
“The men are taking after the Korean ladies. It’s taken a little longer maybe because guys mature a little later and at home they have to do national service for two years so that holds them back, but everyone can see on TV the success the ladies are having and it gives the guys confidence and makes them want to emulate their success. It’s a snowball effect,” he says.
The Korean Diaspora is also taking effect. “Because of the harsh winters, a lot of Korean players are leaving to go to New Zealand, the Philippines, Australia and the US, to hone their games. It’s a good sign for Korean golf. Pretty soon the PGA Tour might become like the LPGA Tour where you have 20 to 30 Korean players teeing it up every week,” Kang says.