Korean coach shares golf passion with Pinoys

Behind every successful athlete is a great coach. After a second-round exit at the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) US Women’s Open, Filipino golf enthusiasts hoped for Bianca Pagdanganan’s big rebound at the CME Group Tour Championship. But lo and behold, the Philippines’ lone bet at the LPGA’s season finale slid to joint 68th place, […]

Behind every successful athlete is a great coach.

After a second-round exit at the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) US Women’s Open, Filipino golf enthusiasts hoped for Bianca Pagdanganan’s big rebound at the CME Group Tour Championship.

But lo and behold, the Philippines’ lone bet at the LPGA’s season finale slid to joint 68th place, and South Korean Jin Young Ko emerged as the champion, taking away the $1.1-million prize money.

Apart from winning the CME Group Tour Championship, Ko stays at the No. 1 spot of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

The Manila Times had the chance to interview Ko’s first-ever instructor during her budding years as a golfer — Coach Jaewon Kwak.

Coach Jaewon has a pleasant recollection of Ko as a student golfer: “She was smart, she had a lot of passion for golf, and above all, she was sincere,” said the proud mentor.

The South Korean golf instructor is currently based in the Philippines, sharing her knowledge and passion for the sport with aspiring Filipino golfers.

Coach Jaewon came to the country in June 2017, but before that, she has already been teaching golf in South Korea and has worked as Callaway Golf Korea’s marketing director.

KC Filipinas Golf Resort Club Inc. is lucky to have Coach Jaewon as one of its resident golf instructors. Off the course, Coach Jaewon works as a full-time physical education professor at the National University where she also propagates the sport.

One of Jaewon’s objectives is to change the Filipinos’ perception toward golf.

“I would like to introduce a new image of golf to Filipino college students. I want to inform students that golf is not a sport that only the rich can do, but that anyone can challenge, and also it can create a lot of different things in the endless golf industry market. First, If you change the values of the younger generation’s thinking of golf, the popularization of golf will be a matter of time. And, if golf becomes popular, we are confident that we will be able to train even better and more players,” explained Jaewon.

Coach Jaewon also shared her good appraisal of the skills of Filipina LPGA pros Pagdanganan and Yuka Saso.

“They are players with a bright future. They know how to enjoy golf, and they show a lot of aspirations for golf, so they are sure to brighten the future of golf in the Philippines,” said Jaewon.

For golf lessons with Coach Jaewon Kwak, contact KC Filipinas Golf Resort Club Inc. at (02) 8868-0267 or visit the golf course at 20 Narra Road, San Antonio, San Pedro, Laguna.