<figure id="attachment_409418" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 720px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409418"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="2fc61ee9"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/91cf6eb2553ebb58682f41ccf31e0e49.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409418" class="wp-caption-text">Sponsors of Doosan Construction. The company has a number of popular professionals, including Yoo Hyun-ju (center) and Park Gyeol (top right).</figcaption></figure>
<h3>The Impact of the &#8220;Five Matches Eliminated&#8221; report</h3>
The schedule for the 2025 season of the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour has been announced, consisting of the same 37 tournaments as last year, and the players are likely enjoying a fulfilling offseason in preparation for the March season opener, the &#8220;Daikin Orchid Ladies.&#8221;
A few Korean players are still competing in the Japanese tour, but the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, where these players made their professional debut, has also been making headlines before the season has even started. In particular, major companies are signing contracts with popular players one after another and making grand appeals to fans.
&#8220;MEDIHEAL,&#8221; a skincare brand well-known to fans of Korean cosmetics, has signed on as the main sponsor for Park Hyun-kyung (25), who ranked 2nd in last year’s season-long points standings, and Lee Ye-won (21), who ranked 4th. Park boasts a strong and adorable persona that makes her one of the tour’s most popular players, and Lee is another player leading the tour’s popularity. Lee also made headlines last year by finishing 3rd in her debut appearance at Japan’s major tournament, the &#8220;World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup.&#8221; With these two new additions, MEDIHEAL will kick off the 2025 season with 11 players who have tournament-winning experience, showcasing their financial power.
Additionally, &#8220;Samchully,&#8221; an energy company, has signed contracts with 11 talented rookies. Meanwhile, six players, including Yoo Hyun-joo (30), who gained attention in Japan as the next-generation queen with her stunning looks, and Park Kyeol (29), known as the &#8220;Barbie doll of the golf world,&#8221; have signed with the construction company &#8220;Doosan Construction.&#8221; The group photos of these company-affiliated players striking various poses as they gear up for the 2025 season are nothing short of impressive, and it’s no surprise that golf fans are excited for the tour even before it starts.
However, what’s more concerning than these flashy presentations is the major upheaval that may hit the Korean tour this season. Although the schedule for this year’s Korean tour has yet to be announced, the economic newspaper &#8220;Herald Business&#8221; reported the shocking news that five tournaments will be canceled.
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<figure id="attachment_409420" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 720px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409420"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="bfdb170d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/3a43c32fd3c9ae5e2c3c0c142ac94a6e.png" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409420" class="wp-caption-text">Popular pros pose for a photo. In Korea, there are many such idol productions. At first glance, the industry appears to be booming, with major corporations sponsoring the event.</figcaption></figure>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Even major tournaments are in danger of disappearing"></div>
<figure id="attachment_409421" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1200px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409421"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="23a1b930"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/6683a75e87e9a8e0d4eb42eb47f1de6d.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409421" class="wp-caption-text">Mediheel also has many popular pros. Park Hyun-kyung (third from left) and Lee Ye-won (fourth from left) are regular top-ranked players in the annual rankings.</figcaption></figure>
<h3>Presidential Arrest Affects Tour Numbers</h3>
This season, the KLPGA Tour has already reported the cancellation of five tournaments. The major &#8220;Hanwha Classic&#8221; has officially announced its cancellation, and other events such as the &#8220;Hana Financial Group Singapore Women&#8217;s Open,&#8221; &#8220;Kyochon Ladies Open,&#8221; &#8220;Celltrion Queens Masters,&#8221; and &#8220;SK Telecom-SK Shieldus Championship&#8221; have also informed the KLPGA that they will not be held this year. Furthermore, the &#8220;Mekcol-Mona Ryongpyeong Open&#8221; and &#8220;OK Savings Bank Umen Open&#8221; are still uncertain about whether they should continue. (Source: Sports department of a Korean newspaper)
It’s shocking that as many as seven tournaments could disappear all at once. The reason behind this, according to the newspaper, is the &#8220;stagnation and economic downturn in South Korea.&#8221; The most significant factor seems to be the severe economic crisis triggered by events like the arrest of President Yoon Suk-yeol under martial law.
Although the Korean tour may appear lively on the surface with major companies securing domestic players, the reduction in the number of events would ultimately harm the players. However, even with fewer tournaments, there’s still a possibility that new companies could step up to host events, so until the official schedule is announced, the situation remains uncertain. Despite this, based on golf-related news from Korea, it’s clear that the industry is facing a difficult situation.
Another challenging aspect of the Korean golf world this season is the increasing participation of Japanese players in the U.S. Tour, which has created a sense of &#8220;crisis&#8221; within the Korean golf world, something they have never experienced before.
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="The Widening &quot;Competitiveness Gap&quot; with the Japanese Golf Industry"></div>
<figure id="attachment_409423" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 720px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-409423"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="eb267429"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/6b1ed95dfa152bb6d38509a026a031de.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-409423" class="wp-caption-text">Professional athletes sponsored by &#8220;Sansenri,&#8221; with as many as 11.</figcaption></figure>
<h3>While Japan is in its golden era</h3>
Last year, five players—Yuri Yoshida (24), Miyu Yamashita (23), Chirei Iwai, Akari Iwai (both 22), and Saki Baba (19)—successfully passed the final qualifying round for the U.S. Women’s Tour. The reigning champion of the season, Rio Takeda (21), also earned a spot on the U.S. Tour by winning the Japan-based &#8220;TOTO Japan Classic.&#8221;
Additionally, this season’s U.S. Tour seeded players include Ayaka Furue (24, who won the major Evian Championship last season), Yuka Saso (23, who claimed her second U.S. Women’s Open title last season), and players such as Hinako Shibuno (26), Nasa Hataoka (26), Minami Katsu (26), Yuna Nishimura (24), and Mao Nishigou (23), making a total of 13 players. This is the highest number in history, marking the start of a true golden era. In response to this, the Korean economic newspaper Asia Economy sounded the alarm:
&#8220;This season, Japan is poised to stir up a storm on the U.S. Women’s Tour. The momentum from Japan is frightening. Japanese women’s golf is fully prepared to dominate the global golf scene in both quantity and quality.&#8221;
In recent years, Korean players have struggled with fewer victories on the U.S. Women’s Tour, securing only two wins last season (by Yu Hee-yeon and Amy Yang), which significantly dampened the pride of the golf powerhouse. The increase in the number of tournaments and prize money on the Korean Tour, along with improved domestic conditions, has caused a halt in players’ overseas aspirations. It is said that many players have lost their hunger and are no longer venturing abroad, which has contributed to their inability to win on the U.S. Tour.
This season, Japan’s players on the U.S. Tour might start to produce winners one after another. First-year players often take time to adjust to the travel, food, and time zone differences, but there is a significant chance that these players will create a major stir on the U.S. Tour. Nevertheless, the Korean players cannot remain passive. Not only is the restoration of their &#8220;golf powerhouse&#8221; status on the U.S. Tour important, but they also need to demonstrate the advantages of hosting tournaments to domestic Korean companies through their performances.
As the situation in the women’s golf world of Japan and Korea is shifting, it will be important to continue monitoring how this development unfolds.
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 Kim Myung-Woo

 MHN Sports

 The Korean women's golf world has been hit by a shock. It was reported that five tournaments for the 2013 season will be eliminated. Sportswriter Kim Myeong-ik looks at the dark clouds looming over the Korean golf world.

Five Match Cancellations Highlight Growing Skill Gap Between Korean and Japanese Golf

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