Park In-bee returns to course to tutor junior golfers

Park In-bee, right, gives a golf lesson to junior golfer Kim Ha-eun at Black Stone Country Club in Jeju on Wednesday. [KLPGA]

LPGA Hall of Famer Park In-bee appeared on a golf course for the first time in a year on Wednesday, offering a lesson to junior golfers at Black Stone Country Club in Jeju.

A group of young golfers gathered at Black Stone Country Club and practiced shots in front of seven pro golfers, including Park and world No. 2 Ko Jin-young. The lesson took place as a preliminary event for the KLPGA Jeju Samdasoo Masters that teed off at the golf course Thursday.

Park is a Korean golf legend with 21 LPGA wins, while Ko also competes on the LPGA Tour and has 14 titles.

It was the first time Park has made an appearance in public since the AIG Women’s Open in August last year. She has not competed on the tour since then, taking time out for the birth of her daughter in April. She is yet to announce when she plans to return to the Tour.

Park demonstrated her shots in front of the junior golfers and gave them tips on how to build a good swing, among other important advice.

The junior golfers found Park’s tips immediately effective.

“Wow, the ball goes straight now,” fifth-grader Hyeon Seo-jin said. “I am going to record Park’s lesson in my notes and keep it forever.

“I’ve had big problems with my swing, but I learned a lot through this lesson. I will become a good golfer like Park someday.”

KLPGA golfer Ko Ji-u, who received a lesson from Park in 2016, also joined the event and taught the junior golfers.

“It feels like a dream that I am giving them a lesson at the place where I got a lesson,” Ko Ji-u said. “I hope they compete with me on the Tour someday.”

Park also gave the junior golfers her autographs after the event.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]