Biography of Golfer Se Ri Pak

Se Ri Pak - Keith_Allison - flickr.com

Se Ri Pak was born on September 28, 1977. She is a South Korean professional golfer, who is now playing on the LPGA Tour. Within ten years of playing professionally, in November 2007 she was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Se Ri Pak did not start playing golf as a child. She ran track, which helped her build up the powerful thighs and legs she later used in her golf swing to create amazing stability and balance.

Even though Pak did not start golf as a child she still managed to win 30 amateur tournaments in South Korea. She became a professional golf player in 1996. Over the next two years she played 14 events on the Korean LPGA. She won six times and finished second for the other seven times.

Pak’s first and second wins in U.S.A., were majors. Her first win was the LPGA Championship, and her second win was U.S. Women Open. In her second win, she won by twenty at the competition, defeating Jenny Chuasiriporn. Pak won again the next week at the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic.

She won four tournaments in 1999, and five tournaments each in 2001 and 2002. From 1998 to 2006 Pak won five major championships. Winning that many tournaments and major championships is a difficult thing for any athlete to do. 

At the 2005 McDonald's LPGA Championship, Pak missed the cut for the first time in 29 majors. In an interview quoted from the PGA Tour's website she said that she is trying to find a balance between her career and her personal life, "I've been a little bit unhappy about everything, my game, big game. I'm not really enjoying it at all, and I'm not doing anything with my ability. I know what I needed, a much better balance. I'm always putting a lot of pressure on myself." Eventually it was discovered that she had a finger injury. In 2006 she came back and won the McDonald's LPGA championship for the third time.

When Pak first joined the LPGA tour she was the only Korean player. Now years past more Koreans are starting to join. Pak has influenced a lot of young Korean golfer players to join the LPGA.

"I have given them the confidence to come out here," Pak said to the World Golf Hall of Fame. " I think of them as my sisters."