S. Korean rookie on LIV Golf looks forward to inaugural event on home soil

LIV Golf’s South Korean rookie Jang Yu-bin said Wednesday he is looking forward to playing in front of hometown fans when the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit makes its first appearance in his native country next month.

Jang, the Player of the Year on the KPGA Tour in 2024, joined LIV Golf in December last year as the first South Korean national on the breakaway tour.

He is a member of Iron Heads Golf Club (GC), which is captained by South Korean-born American Kevin Na. Danny Lee, a South Korean native representing New Zealand, is also on the team. Korean American Martin Kim, a former Los Angeles Dodgers front office member, is the general manager of Iron Heads.

After a stop in Mexico City next week, LIV Golf will make its South Korean debut on May 2 for a three-day LIV Golf Korea tournament at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon, just west of Seoul.

“I am familiar with the course, which hosted the Genesis Championship (of the KPGA Tour) last year),” Jang said in an online media session Wednesday. “I’ve been gaining some experience playing out here this year, and I can’t wait to see Korean fans.”

Jang dominated the South Korean tour last season, sweeping up the Player of the Year award, the money title and the scoring title. Jang won two tournaments and recorded nine other top-10 finishes, including five runner-ups, in 21 starts. He was also the tour’s longest hitter, with an average driving distance of 311.4 yards, and made more birdies than anyone with 335.

Jang had been scheduled to compete in the PGA Tour’s qualifying tournament, the Q-School, before deciding to join LIV Golf instead.

The 22-year-old has yet to crack top 20 in any of his five tournaments so far and he has shot under-par in only six of his 15 rounds — with all LIV Golf tournaments being played over 54 holes.

Jang admitted he is not happy with the way he has played so far.

“At first, I felt intimidated playing against guys I’d only seen on TV,” Jang said. “I felt a lot of pressure to perform well. I think I am still adjusting. If I can just play my game, I should start having better results.”

On LIV Golf, both players and teams accumulate performance-based points. Iron Heads GC is in last place among 13 teams with 1 point, while Fireballs GC, having topped the tour at three of the five tournaments so far, leads the way with 112 points.

Both Na and Lee are no strangers to South Korean courses, with Lee in particular saying he plays at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea with friends every time he visits the country.

“As important as it is for us to play well, I would also like to see Korean fans enjoy the entertainment elements of LIV Golf, such as the concert,” Na said, referring to the post-tournament show that will feature K-pop stars G-Dragon and Ive. “As captain of our team, I hope we will be able to build connections with fans in Korea.”

Lee, coming off a ninth-place finish in Miami earlier this month, said, “I’ve been playing well lately and I think I will have an advantage at the course because of my familiarity.”

LIV Golf, bankrolled by the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, offers huge purses at its 54-hole, no-cut tournaments. This year, each tournament offers a purse of US$20 million for 54 individual players and $5 million split among the top three teams. The $25 million total is bigger than any PGA Tour event in 2025 except for The Players Championship, which also had a $25 million purse.

LIV Golf has successfully lured some of the biggest names on the PGA Tour, including Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm, but has also faced criticism for being a vehicle for Saudi Arabia’s “sportswashing,” which refers to an effort by the country with a record of human rights abuses to cleanse its public image through sports.