[Knowrae's Field Story] Park Seri, the Second 'Golden Era'

From World's Top Golf Player to 'Entertainment Blue Chip'
Appealing Unexpected Charms, Leading Golf Promotion
Established Hope Foundation to Nurture Juniors, Hosting Invitationals and World Matches

[Knowrae's Field Story] Park Seri (45) is experiencing her second prime.

Park Seri is having the busiest days among domestic golf figures. It feels like she needs ten bodies. Recently, she has been appearing frequently off the field. Her main stage is broadcasting. She is passionately active in shows like "No-neun Unni," "I Live Alone," and "Omniscient Interfering View." She has now earned the nickname "National Unni."

Se-ri Pak (right) is applauding the plays of her juniors at the OK Financial Group Se-ri Pak Invitational, where she is the host. Photo by KLPGA

Park Seri is the greatest player in the history of Korean women's golf. In 1992, at age 15 and in the third year of middle school, she won on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour as an amateur. In 1997, she topped the Qualifying (Q) School and debuted on the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour the following year. The highlight of her golf career was the 1998 U.S. Women's Open. At that time, she showed fierce determination by entering a pond barefoot to make a shot during a playoff and won the tournament. She brought hope to the people who were in despair due to the foreign exchange crisis caused by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout.

Park Seri was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007 and retired after the 2016 U.S. Women's Open. She won an impressive 25 titles on the LPGA Tour, including five majors. This remains the record for the most LPGA Tour wins by a Korean player. These achievements came amid fierce competition with notable players such as Annika Sorenstam (Sweden), Karrie Webb (Australia), and Lorena Ochoa (Mexico). At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she served as the coach and led "Golf Empress" Park In-bi (34) to a gold medal.

Having accomplished everything on the field, Park Seri began her full-fledged entertainment career in 2020. Many around her opposed it. Criticisms included, "Her charisma built so far might collapse," "She might not fit well with broadcasting," and "She could just embarrass herself by doing entertainment." However, Park Seri showed a refreshing and down-to-earth side. As a "single woman" who has lived alone for over 20 years, she displayed a warm and relatable personality. Wearing cute pajamas and showcasing an incredible "mukbang show," she rose as a "blue chip" in the entertainment world.

Nevertheless, Park Seri remains a golf figure. She appeared on golf entertainment programs and demonstrated her wit. She has become a familiar figure to the rapidly increasing number of "golini" (golf + children) since COVID-19. In 2016, based on tangible and intangible assets, she established the Park Seri Hope Foundation to nurture golf talent and develop the sports industry. She has carried out various projects including marketing and sponsorship across the sports industry and has produced numerous "Park Seri kids" through golf talent development.

Since 2014, Park Seri has partnered with OK Financial Group to host the KLPGA Tour Park Seri Invitational. She flawlessly fulfilled her role as host at the recently concluded 8th tournament, successfully wrapping it up. Additionally, on the 26th, she invited "LPGA legends" such as Sorenstam, Ochoa, Laura Davies (England), Cristie Kerr (USA), and Tseng Yani (Taiwan) to Korea for the charity event LG Electronics Park Seri World Match. Kim Hyo-joo (27), Park Min-ji (24), and Lim Hee-jung (22) also participated.

Sorenstam said, "I participated in this tournament because I sympathize with the good intentions of the Park Seri Hope Foundation," and expressed gratitude, "I am thankful to Park Seri, a role model in the global golf community, for inviting me." Park Seri explained, "Although golf has become more popular in Korea, the training and practice environment for players has become more challenging," and added, "I wanted to provide players with more experience through this tournament." Even after retirement, Park Seri continues to lead the golf world with strength.