Asia has taken over women’s golf – here is why

A smartly dressed gentleman in a Burberry trench coat looked stricken as he hurried towards the 18th fairway on the Old Course during the first round of the Women’s Open on Thursday afternoon.

He was quickly joined by a group of fellow Japanese golf fans. The reason for their distress? A torrid eight-over-par opening round from Hinako Shibuno, the 2019 Women’s Open winner.

When Shibuno stunned the golfing world aged 20 by winning at Woburn five years ago, her effervescent personality earnt her huge attention and the nickname “Smiling Cinderella” in her homeland. Even when she is out of form, not just fans follow her trademark bobbing ponytail, but a large contingent of Japanese photographers.

At home, Shibuno is just as big a star as 2021 Masters winner Hideki Matsumyama. In part, this is due to Shibuno becoming the first Japanese woman to win a golf major since Hisako Higuchi claimed the Women’s PGA Championship in 1977. Since then, Japanese winners of major titles have followed one after another. Last month, Akaka Furue won the Evian Championship and Yuka Saso won her second US Open.

There has been something of a Japanese takeover at the Women’s Open, with Japan having 19 players in the field, second only to the United States (25). Off the course, the interest is also there with The Championship having Japanese brands Mitsubishi, Nikon, Toyo Tyres and Suntory as “patron” sponsors, in addition to AIG’s title sponsorship.

Telegraph Sport understands that television audiences for the LPGA Tour in Japan often outnumber that of PGA Tour events, with the women’s tour broadcast on satellite provider Wowow. The same goes for South Korea where the rights are held by JTBC and tournaments are given a particular glamour by K-pop groups performing at them. South Korea’s Amy Yang won the PGA Championship this year.

Mina Park, originally from Seoul, and her friend Sakura were intently watching Japanese player Mao Saigo play on Friday morning at the Open as she made a run up the leaderboard. Both are studying in Los Angeles and made a trip to Europe to watch the women’s golf at the Olympic Games before heading to St Andrews. Park said: “People might laugh but Korean female golfers are so good because, just like our K-pop stars, they go to really intense bootcamps, I guess you would call them that here – they are really tough schools and they are looking for perfection. It is part of our culture to be precise and perfect.”

Sakura added: “I have lived most my life in the US but the other reason Asian players are so successful is the investment of parents. Also [the New Zealander] Lydia Ko is from a Korean family and she just won Olympic gold. People may think the stereotype of ‘Asian moms’ or ‘tiger parents’ are unhealthy, but they are coming from a very patriarchal society and golf is seen as a way for girls to shine.”

At the moment, 10 players in the world’s top 20 are from Asia. Its diaspora is also providing many of the stars of the women’s game, including France’s world No 8 Céline Boutier, the highest-ranked European, and the daughter of Thai parents. Ko, who is ranked 12th, and the Californian world No 2 Lilia Vu, winner of last year’s Women’s Open, are also of Asian heritage.

In South Korea and Japan, the sport is driven by investment from parents and an overwhelming array of brands, including female-friendly ones such as those from the skin-care industry. In Thailand, there is a mixture of sponsorship, keen interest from parents from upper-class backgrounds, and big-name sponsors such as Singha beer ploughing funds into the women’s game. In China, it is much more state-sponsored.

Korean girls are at an advantage compared to their male counterparts as all men aged 18-35 must complete military service. Conscription threatens to take male players away from the sport for up to 21 months with Si Woo Kim and Sunjae Im handed exemptions only after winning gold at the Asian Games, and Tom Kim still attempting to gain one.

Just as Tiger Woods inspired a generation of American male major winners, from Justin Spieth and Patrick Reed to Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, Korean women have their own role model or “mentor” in Se-ri Pak.

In 1998, Pak became the first Korean woman to win a major and her gutsy performance to win the US Open in a play-off became South Korea’s equivalent of Bobby Moore lifting the World Cup as she waded bare foot into a water hazard.

In Pak’s rookie season, there were just six players from Asia on the LPGA Tour. Last year, there were 69 players from Asia, more than 30 per cent of the Tour’s active players.

One theory as to why Asian women are so successful is that the discipline with which they are brought up transfers to their golf.

One often overlooked Asian influence on global golf is that of Kultida Woods on her son Tiger. She grew up in Thailand and, in the podcast All-American: Tiger Woods, it is claimed that Kultida’s influence on her son in terms of discipline and drive was not given due credit.

As the fans at St Andrews reminded me: “Tiger is just as much Asian as African American.”