"As this is my first appearance as a professional player, I will show my best effort rather than focus on the result."
Park golf professional Son Eun-jin (28, pictured) expressed her resolve to compete in Korea's first professional park golf tournament in a phone interview with The Seoul Economic Daily on the 22nd.
Son is the youngest of the 211 players participating in the "2026 KPPGA Samcheok Open with High1," hosted by the Korea Professional Park Golf Association (KPPGA) at the Dogye Park Golf Course in Samcheok, Gangwon, on the 23rd and 24th. While park golf is a popular sport among people aged 60 and older, Son draws attention as a young player in her 20s.
Son currently runs a screen park golf shop and passed the pro test conducted this year. She took on the challenge alongside her boyfriend, a Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) professional, and both passed together. "I have always been very interested in park golf, to the point of running a screen shop, so I had a strong desire to become a professional golfer," Son said. "My boyfriend and I worked hard together and passed the test, but it's a shame he can't compete in this tournament because he is doing military service." She added, "As the youngest professional competing, I will play in a way that shows the spirit of young players."
This tournament, with total prize money of 50 million won, is sponsored by High1 Resort, the city of Samcheok, and the Samcheok City Council. After the preliminaries, 40 players in the men's division and 20 players in the women's division will advance to the finals. The men's division winner will receive 20 million won, and the women's division winner will receive 10 million won. All players who reach the finals will also receive prize money differentiated by rank, starting from a minimum of 150,000 won.
