Golf: Korean LPGA dominance here to stay, say former players

South Korean-born players have dominated the LPGA circuit this season, winning six of seven tournaments to date, and the juggernaut will be difficult to stop at this week's ANA Inspiration, the first major of the year.

World number one Lydia Ko, five-time major champion Park Inbee and last week's winner Kim Hyo-joo are just the tip of a very large wave of talent flowing out of the east Asian nation.

Since Pak Se-ri won two majors in 1998, Korean players have 20 major titles, one less than the number accrued by Americans.

Hall of Famers Judy Rankin and Annika Sorenstam are united in their belief that Korean dominance is here to stay.

"Every few months somebody pops out," Rankin told reporters recently. "Not only do they have great golf swings, but they have an early maturity, at least on the golf course, and they are very composed."

Sorenstam believes Ko is the pick of the bunch, as much because of her attitude as physical attributes.

"She's just very consistent in every area," 10-time major winner Sorenstam said of 17-year-old Ko, a New Zealand citizen who has already won six LPGA events.

"I think the strongest part is between her ears. She just has this composure about her which she does so well under pressure. That's what it takes to be number one."

If Sorenstam is amazed by Ko, then Rankin can hardly find enough superlatives to describe Kim, the 19-year-old who won the Founders Cup in Phoenix nine days ago.

"We're going to be stunned throughout the year at how often this player contends," Rankin said of Kim, who already has a major title under her belt after winning the Evian Championship last year.

"She has one of the very best golf swings I've ever seen. If she can figure out how to make that golf swing score, I think she's going to be there for a long time."

Karen Stupples, who won the 2004 Women's British Open, says a mix of fearlessness and sound fundamentals makes the Korean players formidable.

"Every one of them I look at and think, wow, she can hit the ball great," said Stupples.

"Players like Se Ri Pak have paved the way for them to come over here and play. It's a much more comfortable place to be now than it ever used to be, and I think they're all just finding their feet." - Reuters