Se Ri Pak

Biography

Se Ri Pak didn't just win golf tournaments — she launched a movement. When the 20-year-old rookie won the 1998 U.S. Women's Open in a Monday playoff, barefoot in a water hazard on the final hole, an entire nation watched. South Korea had no golf tradition to speak of. Within a decade, Korean women dominated the LPGA Tour. Pak's 5 majors and 25 LPGA wins made her a Hall of Famer, but the numbers don't capture her true impact. She inspired Inbee Park, Park Sung-hyun, and dozens of others who followed her path from Seoul to the LPGA. The image of her standing barefoot in that creek, rolling up her trousers to play a shot, became Korean golf's founding moment. Every Korean major winner since owes a debt to the woman who showed it was possible.

Career Highlights

• 5 Major championships
• 25 LPGA Tour wins
• Won U.S. Women's Open as rookie (1998)
• World Golf Hall of Fame inductee
• Launched Korean dominance of women's golf

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