Park Seong-hyun was a golfer who shone in Korean women’s golf in the mid-to-late 2010s. She conquered the country and also won her 7 career victories on the LPGA Tour, making her the fourth Korean player to reach the world No. 1 ranking in women’s golf. Park Seong-hyun, who has many fans with her exciting play and performance, was like a domestic golf icon for a while.
But she has been struggling the last 3 years. Beginning with her shoulder injury, her poor condition and lack of performance led her to become a golfer far from winning for a while. In May of last year, her world ranking plummeted to 274th. It was an unbelievable ranking for his ranking, which had risen and fell to the top of the world just three years ago. Coincidentally, in line with the global Corona 19 pandemic in the 2020s, Park’s downward trend seemed to continue without knowing.
After 4 years of sluggishness, we welcomed a new season again. He was also in a hurry. However, Park Seong-hyun was different. Park Seong-hyun, who attended the signing ceremony for a new golf wear sponsorship on the 9th, seemed to be more relaxed mentally. The remarks he made in a meeting with reporters that day caught my eye. Regarding the performance that has been sluggish in recent years, “(for a while) there were many days that were heartbreaking. But I think that is also an important experience in life. I thought that there could not be only good things every day and every tournament. I think there will be many happier days in the future. do,” he said. It was far from being psychologically pressured to do well.
It seems that Park Seong-hyun did not face the current situation with a positive view overnight. In October of last year, he finally found a turning point when he tied for 3rd at the Hite Jinro Championship, a domestic tour event. At the time, backed by the support of countless fans, they competed for the championship after a long time and achieved top 10 results in about 4 years of domestic and international tours. Through this, he regained confidence in his performance. After finishing the tournament, Park Seong-hyun wrote on his SNS, “Thanks to the energy given by many people, I have been able to perform well for the first time in a long time. I cannot accomplish everything alone. I am always grateful.”
Park Seong-hyun, who promises to revive this year. It is said that three months after 안전놀이터
, Park Seong-hyun himself joked, “Is it because I’m old?” As much as that, Park Seong-hyun’s mental composure is having a positive effect on those around him. An official from Sema Sports Marketing, Park’s management company, said, “Since he was a player with high expectations from fans and media, he said, ‘It’s okay’ for a while, but he didn’t feel like he was being chased. I could feel it even when I looked at it from the side. Rather than trying to go back to the glamorous things like before, I was more determined to wear clothes that fit the period and play golf for a longer time.”
There were not a few golfers who crashed due to the loss of faith in his performance and the addition of psychological difficulties. He suffered longer than expected, but he learned the way he had to go. Coincidentally, Park Seong-hyun, born in 1993, turns 30 this year. At this press conference, he set a goal and pledged, “The goal is to win three wins, including majors.”
At the same time, I dreamed of a season where I grew even more within golf. Park Seong-hyun said, “I feel like I’m truly in my 30s. I’m trying to get rid of my childish, baby-like mind and treat golf as an adult with a little more maturity.” There was a glimpse of his determination to treat golf anew with a broader view and a deeper mind. After preparing for the new season in Korea, focusing on his physical training, he plans to leave for the United States on the 20th and start training in earnest. Park Seong-hyun, who is about to celebrate the year of thirty, like a party with a different meaning. Will he be able to spend 2023 as an ‘extraordinary’ season like his nickname?
◆ ‘Kim Ji-han’s Golf Discourse’ is intended to tell various stories of golf with all the meanings of Chinese characters that speak (談), talk (話), convey opinions (說), and record (錄).