tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1198629951037494295.post1025459978145155733..comments2023-11-22T03:32:31.513-05:00Comments on Mostly Harmless: Y.E. Yang: The Se Ri Pak or Hisako Higuchi of the PGA?The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1198629951037494295.post-64560475728691387632009-08-19T10:15:23.488-04:002009-08-19T10:15:23.488-04:00Give them a little time, TC. Golf in China is sti...Give them a little time, TC. Golf in China is still in its infancy. A few names like Feng who have a little success around the world will be a big help to the people learning the game in China. <br /><br />And we know that the "People's Republic" (yeah right) will start funnelling children into the national program for some intensive training like they do for all their sports.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1198629951037494295.post-13281850014102471502009-08-19T06:01:11.111-04:002009-08-19T06:01:11.111-04:00I don't see much reason to change my assessmen...I don't see much reason to change my assessment of golf in China from last July:<br /><br />http://mlyhlss.blogspot.com/2008/07/on-golf-in-china.html<br /><br />Na Zhang had a great rookie season on the JLPGA but hasn't recovered from back problems and is basically MIA. Li-Ying Ye is having a great rookie season, but we'll have to see how she develops. Shanshan Feng got hot the 2nd half of last season after a horrific start; no indications yet that she';ll get that hot in the 2nd half of this season. I haven't heard of any other women doing well outside China, have you?<br /><br />If it's that hard for the top Chinese women, how much harder will it be for Chinese men?The Constructivisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1198629951037494295.post-36083432991568112562009-08-19T02:03:35.754-04:002009-08-19T02:03:35.754-04:00It is true that China has a compulsory military se...It is true that China has a compulsory military service requirement, but the People's Liberation Army (the umbrella name for all of the nation's military, be they land, sea or air) has so many willing volunteers that a draft has never been implemented. What China does have is their version of a Soviet-style sports development system, in which officials scour the country for youngsters who exhibit certain traits and recruit them for various sports, in which they train nearly full-time. Whether it has extended to golf yet is unknown, but most of the top athletes China has produced have been products of this system.<br />Golf courses are springing up all over the PRC not because of state support for the sport but because of its traditional cachet as a sport for the well-off. To be well-off is a goal of many Chinese and many have become so since Deng Xiaoping first encouraged Chinese capitalism in 1978. The state system is a latecomer to tennis as well, but look how much China has accomplished in such a short period of time. With golf soon to be an Olympic sport again China will want to be in on the fun in a big way.<br /><br />KevinIceCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02905575471525940516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1198629951037494295.post-50558386815011937502009-08-18T15:24:24.311-04:002009-08-18T15:24:24.311-04:00I guess the question, then, is how many phenoms ca...I guess the question, then, is how many phenoms can we legitimately expect? Given the difficulties of playing a global schedule or moving to another country, the language and cultural differences to acclimate to, and all that, I really think it's going to take a critical mass of phenoms to spark a mass migration. How many? Let's be optimistic and say we have 2 already--Lee and Ishikawa--I'd say we need 5 more Asian-born top-30-caliber players to get us close to 30 by 2020.The Constructivisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1198629951037494295.post-20549487159675011882009-08-18T14:37:24.770-04:002009-08-18T14:37:24.770-04:00Thanks for the mention, Bruce.
I was talking abo...Thanks for the mention, Bruce. <br /><br />I was talking about the age factor with Ryan Moore. A while ago, he made a comment about how all the guys in junior golf who dominated in the AJGA and then fell off the map -- he wondered why that was. I think it's a matter of genetics -- or what I meant, which Bruce clarified via email, is the height factor. On average, Asians are shorter than Westerners. <br /><br />Then, on Sunday, Ryan mentioned that like Yang, KJ Choi didn't take up golf until he was older. Maybe golf just wasn't as popular when they were younger. But it's interesting that the guys I played with back in the day have seemingly disappeared from the competitive ranks with the exception of AK and Na. I remember Na being a phenom, but there were at least a handful of other guys who were just as good.<br /><br />Anyway, in China, I'm pretty sure military service is a requirement as well. I don't think that will really get in the way of the golf boom, though. Knowing the Asian culture, they LOVE it when they have stars who can compete on the international level. So, if they discover a phenom, they'll be more than happy to waive the mandatory military service. And, the Tours in the US are the ultimate goal -- mostly because of the prestige. <br /><br />Also, I think it's easier to excel at golf as a woman in general.Stephanie Weihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13775101071497403393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1198629951037494295.post-4407080315131353482009-08-18T12:59:26.984-04:002009-08-18T12:59:26.984-04:00Yeah, that military service requirement is a big d...Yeah, that military service requirement is a big deal. But in my experience it wasn't until my mid-20s that I really matured as a golfer. Wonder if that golf maturation comes later for guys than gals?The Constructivisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1198629951037494295.post-63497794388731452772009-08-18T12:46:08.178-04:002009-08-18T12:46:08.178-04:00Did Dougie Ferguson at least spell Pak right ? :-)...Did Dougie Ferguson at least spell Pak right ? :-)<br /><br />Korean men definitely have it harder to excell in a sport like golf than the women. Korean men are forced into military service during a few years that are very important in a professional golfer's life.<br /><br />I doubt we'll see the same level of explosion from Korean men that we saw from the women - but there will be growth.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1198629951037494295.post-55249242441293159552009-08-18T09:35:57.990-04:002009-08-18T09:35:57.990-04:00Oh, and I wouldn't say "no effect at all&...Oh, and I wouldn't say "no effect at all" is the likeliest outcome. Could just be relatively modest, like Higuchi's. As I pointed out to Stephanie (building on a point you made about the KLPGA awhile back), money on the European Tour and JGTO is pretty good, so just like the JLPGA being closest to the LPGA in purse sizes led to fewer Japanese (and Korean) players from there coming over, we're probably more likely to see Asian males playing those tours regularly than the PGA, especially given how tough it is just to get a card and make cuts there, not to mention how much more power matters there than on the LPGA.The Constructivisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1198629951037494295.post-7923134316432998082009-08-18T09:32:25.156-04:002009-08-18T09:32:25.156-04:00Stephanie Wei and I have been emailing on this ear...Stephanie Wei and I have been emailing on this early this morning. Can't wait to read her final take!The Constructivisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1198629951037494295.post-65456874402422663342009-08-18T09:28:17.695-04:002009-08-18T09:28:17.695-04:00Thanks for pointing out the possibility that Yang&...Thanks for pointing out the possibility that Yang's win could have no effect at all. When dozens of people start predicting a cultural revolution based on one prior incident, I naturally start drifting towards the dissenting opinion.Hound Doghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14551723761253381230noreply@blogger.com