Beauty golfer Park Kyul said, “I’ve changed my sponsor and club. I’m running again.
It’s a transformation of “beautiful golfer” Park Kyul.
During the off-season, he devoted all his energy to weight training to build strong physical strength. In an interview with the Asian Economy on the 17th, Park Kyul said, “I lifted up to 95kg in squats in the U.S. off-season training,” adding, “The coach in charge of physical strength praised me, saying, ‘I can be a bodybuilder.'” “This year, I’ve changed everything, including sponsors, clubs, and clothes,” he said. “I want to play happily with a new mind.”
Park Kyul is the star player representing the KLPGA Tour. At the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, he won a gold medal in the individual event and a silver medal in the team event. In November of the same year, he was honored as a senior in the KLPGA Tour seed ranking match. He gained popularity with steady performance until 2017, and enjoyed the joy of winning his first career title at SK Networks and Seoul Economic Ladies Classic in 2018. It is surprising that his performance fell after winning his first championship.
Park Kyul had the worst season of 2021. He has only been in the ‘top 10’ once in 28 competitions. He finished 69th in the prize money ranking and lost his regular tour card. It added the story of returning to the first division tour by ranking 27th in the seed ranking match. “I’ve never had such a hard time playing golf,” he said adding, “I thought about quitting sports.” Park Gyeol got a lot from the seed match. The lesson is that if you don’t work hard, you can fall to the bottom.
Park Kyul will start her second golf career this year. He left Samil Pharmaceutical, which had been sponsored for six years, and built a new nest in Doosan Engineering & Construction. He also replaced the club with Callaway. Drivers, irons, and putters are all Callaway products. Clothing also wears Verutum Golf, a newly launched Korean brand. Park Gyeol said, “I thank everyone who trusted and supported me,” and added, “I want to repay you with good grades as I got to start my first career together.”
Park Gyeol made a strong decision. On December 23 last year, he started off-season training at Moore Park in Los Angeles, California. He returned home on the 8th after 74 days of training. “I wanted to go to the U.S. early and rest and exercise,” he said. “It’s the first time I’ve had off-season training for this long.” He trained with ‘KLPGA members’ Kim Ji-hyun, Heo Da-bin, and Kim Jae-hee. I took a tweezers lesson from coach Ahn Sung-hyun to increase the green hit rate. Park Gyeol especially worked hard to build up his physical strength. For the first time, I trained with a fitness trainer, not a golf trainer. Park Gyeol boasted, “I heard it right away because the trainer said, ‘If I lift 95kg, I will finish the training’.” He said, “I felt my physical strength was falling in the second half,” adding, “I will be full of energy until the end of this year.”
Park Kyul is a meat maniac. I like steak. “I don’t eat seafood,” he said with a smile, “I’ve eaten up to 1kg of meat.” Park Kyul had time to recharge after returning home. I ate delicious food with my family, and went to a hair salon where my younger sister Park Sang-eun, a year younger, is a hair designer. Park Gyeol said, “I changed the atmosphere by cutting my hair,” adding, “I like to decorate when I have time.”
Park Kyul set his goal for this year to achieve his second career victory in five years. “If I won, I was envious to see the players prepare coffee and snack cars,” he said. “If I win, I will definitely shoot not only the players but also the fans so that they can eat.” Park Gyeol’s dream is to go around the field for a long time. This is why I respect Kim Ji-hyun, Lee Jung-min, and Jung Yeon-joo, who are competing for the championship over the age of 30. Park Kyul said, “When I look at my sisters, I think they are really amazing,” adding, “It is impressive to see them interview for the championship after overcoming a difficult crisis.”
Park Kyul is preparing for the Lotte Rent-A-Car Women’s Open in Korea, which will be held at Lotte Sky Hill Golf Course in Seogwipo, Jeju on the 6th of next month. In preparation for this, the actual round will be held in Gangneung and Sangju. He is determined to boost his sense of play and gain a training effect. Park Gyeol promised, “What I can do best is golf,” adding, “I will leave the field someday, but I will be excited at the best job this year.”