BIRMINGHAM, Ala – Before Sung Hyun Park stepped foot in California for the 2016 U.S. Women’s Open at CordeValle, she was already building a reputation as a world beater. The year before, she won seven times on the KLPGA and only once finished outside the top 10 in her first four appearances on the LPGA Tour. Her ability to dismantle the course at CordeValle to take the lead in her first U.S. Women’s Open with a 66 on Friday, only affirmed what Tour caddies were already whispering about. There was only one player fitting of comparison.
Tiger Woods.
And so, it was there in California, where Woods dismantled courses of his own as a youngster, that Sung Hyun’s nickname ‘Tiger,’ was born.
“It’s not everyday someone ‘Tiger-esque’ comes along,” said Sung Hyun’s caddie, David Jones. “We see good players, but every now and again, one comes along that is just different.”
Sung Hyun gives fans the same feeling they get when they watch the 14-time major champion. Woods is notorious for keeping the media at a distance, which has left fans constantly wanting to learn more about him. Sung Hyun has that same separation from fans and media outside Korea. It’s not self-imposed, but an obstacle that has naturally developed due to the language barrier. She barely speaks English. So, fans and media alike are often left wondering who she is and what she’s thinking.
That intrigue, combined with her breathtaking swing and killer instinct, rightfully earned her the nickname ‘Tiger’ around the LPGA Tour. It’s not surprising Sung Hyun says Woods is her favorite player, but she eventually gave up trying to emulate his swing as he continued making tweaks.
Even as Woods changed swings, coaches and caddies throughout his career, he kept a tight inner circle that included, until his death, his father, Earl. ‘Let the legend grow,’ he would tell his son. Those same words could be shared with Sung Hyun, who has found success with her own small circle of supporters.
Sung Hyun has worked for years without an instructor and is fascinated by the idea of dissecting her own swing, but she hasn’t reached the pinnacle of women’s golf on her own. Yes, she spends countless hours grinding alone on the range, but there is a small group of people that Park keeps close. They each have a connection back home in Korea, and they were all in New Jersey when Sung Hyun won her first major at the U.S. Women’s Open in 2017.
After a heartbreaking loss at CordeValle the year before, Sung Hyun was determined to find redemption at Trump National Bedminster. But after she posted an over-par round of 73 on Thursday, her mom was ready to pack it in.
“I’m not done yet. Just wait,” Sung Hyun remembers telling her mother Geum Ja Lee (pronounced Kim-Jah), who was already packing her bags.
“That’s my mom’s personality, she thought I was going to get cut,” she explained.
But Sung Hyun wasn’t giving up that easy.
For an entire year, Sung Hyun thought about the U.S. Women’s Open. She was haunted by the final round at CordeValle in 2016. Friday, Sung Hyun held the lead. Sunday, she finished two-strokes outside of the playoff after finding the water at the 72nd hole.
“I thought about that hole a lot,” Sung Hyun said. “I played pretty bad. That memory stuck out to me.”
Back home in Korea, Sung Hyun and her mother faced questions about her decision to go for the green in two at the 528-yard, par 5, 18th hole. She needed birdie to get into what would end up being a playoff between Brittany Lang and Anna Nordqvist. When she pushed her approach well left and into the water short of the green, Sung Hyun’s U.S. Women’s Open was over.
“’Why did you decide to hit it that way?’” Sung Hyun remembers people asking. “They would say to my mom, ‘she would’ve had a better chance at birdie if she hit on in three. Why did you throw that hole away?’”
Sung Hyun’s answer was simple.
“I would’ve been disappointed if I didn’t try.”
That willingness to take a chance is how her journey in golf began.
Sung Hyun didn’t learn to play on a golf course. She didn’t even learn on real grass. Sung Hyun hit her first golf balls off a mat at an indoor golf facility in the heart of Seoul, South Korea, the fifth largest city in the world. Geum Ja, who never played, brought 7-year-old Sung Hyun to Samsung Golf Club. That’s where she was first introduced to golf.
“I told her I wasn’t going to play because I didn’t know anything about it. The next day, she registered me at a facility and took me,” Sung Hyun said. “She told me to hit the ball and it was so fun.”
Every day after school, Sung Hyun would practice, and her mom would watch. She continued hitting balls at Samsung Golf Club until the sixth grade and then moved to different clubs. Sung Hyun grew up in a working-class family that struggled to pay for her golf, but she knew if she could find success in the game, she could help her family and others.
“Growing and learning how to golf was difficult. I had a huge dream to be a success, so we didn’t lose our home,” Sung Hyun said. “There were so many people that gave financially so I could play.”
One of those who helped her was SongJu Park, her first golf instructor. They are still in touch to this day. He arrived in the States last week from Korea to help Sung Hyun prepare for the U.S. Women’s open.
“We have a great relationship,” Sung Hyun said. “He listens to what I say about my game, like a mentor.”
How Sung Hyun and SongJu first met and what has kept them connected nearly two decades later remains, like so many aspects of Sung Hyun’s life, a mystery. SongJu declined to be interviewed for this story.
This week, SongJu is at Shoal Creek with Sung Hyun, just as he was last year at Bedminster. What his influence may have been in turning around Sung Hyun’s week after that opening round, 73 is unknown. But what is certain is that Sung Hyun didn’t pack it in after the first day at Trump National Bedminster and neither did her mom. Sung Hyun came from seven strokes back on the weekend with back-to-back rounds of 67 to win for the first time on the LPGA Tour and capture her first major title. Geum Ja and SongJu were watching, just as they’ve done from those early days back home in Seoul.
“She stood right in front of me and said, ‘I am so proud of you Sung Hyun,’” she recalls her mother telling her. “At that moment it really dawned on me: I really won the championship.”
Geum Ja isn’t interested in sharing the spotlight with her daughter. She’s extremely shy and has rarely been photographed. When it came time to take pictures with her daughter following her U.S. Women’s Open victory, she later apologized because she didn’t know how to react. And when she’s following her daughter on the course, she often hides in the trees.
“My mom goes to all my events. She’s always hiding,” Park says laughing. “Isn’t our family funny?”
Sung Hyun’s path from Seoul to the height of women’s golf hasn’t always been easy, but it’s a journey Geum Ja has shared with her daughter. They left Sung Hyun’s father and her sister, Sae Hee, back home in South Korea and moved to the United States when Sung Hyun joined the LPGA Tour in 2017. Sung Hyun wasn’t sure where to set up a base in America, so she sought advice from fellow Korean, In Gee Chun, who moved to Orlando the year before. Sung Hyun and Geum Ja didn’t know anyone, or speak any English, when they traveled more than 7,500 miles to Orlando, where they created a second home.
“My mother travels with me and it’s pretty tough on her. I am so thankful for her sacrifice that she makes,” Park said after her victory. “The moment that I hugged her, all this time that we spent together sort of flew through my head. It was pretty emotional.”
If Geum Ja and SongJu were the 15th and 16th clubs in Sung Hyun’s victory at the U.S. Women’s Open, then her fan club Namdalla, would be the 17th.
The club took their name from a word on Sung Hyun’s golf bag, Namdalla, which means ‘I am different’ when translated from Korean to English. The fan club grew online as Sung Hyun found success on the KLPGA and now boasts more than 10,000 members.
And they travel well.
Wearing t-shirts with Sung Hyun’s image and carrying signs supporting their favorite player, they’ve been spotted at multiple Tour stops in the United States, including the U.S. Women’s Open. When crowds aren’t quiet enough for their favorite player, they raise their hands to get the gallery to pause until after Sung Hyun hits. Saturday, they waited behind the 18th green for Sung Hyun, who high-fived her loyal following on the way to the clubhouse.
But they provide more than encouragement on the course. They do their homework. During the week of the U.S. Women’s Open, Namdalla prepared Sung Hyun’s favorite Korean snacks of sausage, chocolate and fruit. They put the food in Tupperware, inside a cooler and gave it to Sung Hyun after her round.
“I’m shocked because there are so many that will come to the states,” Sung Hyun said smiling. “And they never bring me anything I don’t like. They do that in Korea and in the U.S.”
Sung Hyun has gone out of her way to connect with her fans on a more intimate level than her idol, Tiger. She has a separate social media account just to stay in touch with Namdalla when she’s on the road. And each year, during the off season, she meets with members of the club to answer questions, talk and play games. After nearly 600 fans showed up in 2016, the meeting had to be limited to 250 people last season. They’re all trying to discover who Sung Hyun Park really is.
“They are the most passionate fan club out there,” said Sung Hyun, almost embarrassed about how much they adore her. “They really look after me like moms.”
Namdalla, Geum Ja and SongJu each played their own unique role in Sung Hyun’s victory. But none played a more critical role than her caddie, David Jones. He is the newest member of Sung Hyun’s inner circle, but perhaps the most important.
The Irishman and Korean are kindred spirits. Both love to laugh, smile and keep things simple on the course. David adores his boss. He gushes that Sung Hyun is “remarkably simple and honest.” They discuss each shot, commit and move on, regardless of result. The veteran caddie’s easy-going attitude played a critical role in helping ease the tension Sung Hyun felt during the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open.
“He’s not super intense when we talk at the tournament,” Sung Hyun said. “He makes me feel really comfortable.”
The pair connected nine events into the 2017 season. Sung Hyun liked David’s Korean connection as he recently worked with major champions In Gee Chun and Na Yeon Choi. While the two don’t speak the same language, that’s never been a problem for Sung Hyun. When she played her way into contention at CordeValle with caddie Jeff King, who didn’t speak Korean, the pair used a series of drawings and hand movements to communicate. Luckily for David, Sung Hyun’s English has improved to a level where she has a pretty clear understanding of what he’s saying, but doesn’t yet have the skills to always communicate in return. What doesn’t require any translation are the smiles and laughs they share on the course.
“He’s always saying funny things,” said Sung Hyun laughing. “Even though I can’t understand 100 percent, what he says is really funny.”
Their partnership has resulted in three victories for Sung Hyun and the No. 1 spot in the Rolex Rankings.
“It’s been the best luck meeting David,” Sung Hyun said about her caddie, who has become a friend that she often calls and texts. “He’s been the one who can complement my style of play. We’re a great match.”
This week, Sung Hyun and her team are in Alabama where she’s hoping to join a short list of players to win back-to-back U.S. Women’s Open titles. Tuesday as the rain poured down on Shoal Creek, which was closed due to torrential rains from Subtropical Storm Alberto, her team found another way to prepare. The reigning U.S. Women’s Open champion hit balls off of a mat at TopGolf in Birmingham, just as she’d done as a young girl in Seoul. Tuesday, SongJu and Geum Ja assumed their familiar positions and looked on as Sung Hyun set her sights on the targets out in front of her. The next one? A shot at making history at the U.S. Women’s Open.
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