“When I was a player, my best score was 61. I want to break the ‘Labe (Life Best Score)’ in my second life.”
Golf is often compared to life. This is because during the round of 18 holes, the joys, sorrows, successes and failures that people feel throughout their lives happen on the grass. Pak Se-ri (46), the “original golf queen,” said, “From my teens to my 30s as a player, the first half was 9 holes. She looked back at her biggest dream, and since she was inducted into the Hall of Fame, she recorded under par in the first half.” Now, Se-ri Pak has hit a full-fledged tee shot in the second half of her life. It is to create a better environment for her juniors to exercise.
Recently, she met Pak Se-ri, who started her second life as CEO at Baz International in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. From broadcasting activities, golf commentary, national coaching, to the CEO who runs a company. He is so busy that even 10 pieces of his body might not be enough, and he started digging the first shovel in the construction of ‘Seri Park (tentative name)’, a long-cherished project. Last March, it decided to join hands with Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, to establish a golf R&D center and a golf theme park. Pak Se-ri is the first golf player to join hands with a local government to undertake a large-scale project to nurture sports talent.
Find gemstones and make jewelry… Desire to nurture sports talent
Pak Se-ri is a pioneer in domestic golf who entered the LPGA tour in 1998 and won a total of 25 wins. He is also the first person in the United States to encounter an advanced environment. While working on the LPGA tour, she said that the first thing that came to her mind was that she wanted to introduce an ‘environment’ where she could easily access sports anywhere in Korea, like the United States.
Pak Se-ri said, “In the United States, if you open the door and go out, you have everything, including baseball fields, soccer fields, and golf courses. It is truly possible to exercise for life. Like a park, anyone can easily come and exercise autonomously, so I was most envious,” she recalled.
He regretted that her juniors, who run at the top of the world, still exercise in poor conditions. Exercising in Korea takes too much time and money. So, I decided to go out on my own. “The environment is really important. It may not be possible to create 100% of the same environment as in the United States in Korea, but I wanted to provide a platform for people to exercise, train, and receive education comfortably.” Pak Se-ri explains that the starting point is the establishment of an R&D center in Yongin City and the final destination will be Seri Park.
In addition, he raised his voice that he should nurture the world’s best players following Se-ri Pak and In-bi Park, rather than waiting for them to emerge. Pak Se-ri said, “Korean players played a big role in raising the standard and improving the standard of women’s golf around the world. You can’t stop here. Now, the number of players is also decreasing, and this is a dangerous signal.”
Pak Se-ri said, “There is no environment, but you shouldn’t hold on with the thought of’I will do well’ forever. I think it is our role to applaud them for doing well in a poor environment, and to create an environment from now on. My goal is to find raw stones and turn them into jewelry.” “Of course, it is not something that will happen in one or two years. I want to make each one well from the bottom up and grow it into a place that nurtures talented people who will lead Korea.”
The second life of living as ‘Rich Unnie’ is also a good shot
Pak Se-ri is also changing the view that ‘the athlete ends when he retires’. Pak Se-ri is considered one of the most successful retired athletes. A successful sports star around the world, Pak Se-ri does not hide her wealth and fame. He is proud, confident, and cares for the people around him. As a result, the nickname ‘Rich sister’ was attached, and the reaction was also enthusiastic. He did not forget his main job, which is to develop sports in Korea. Having led a new path for women’s golf in Korea, she is serving as a pioneer even after her retirement.
Pak Se-ri said, “I wanted to show that athletes can do many things outside of exercise. Looking at me, I hoped that my juniors would gain the courage to say, ‘I can do various things even after retirement’ or take on another challenge.” I hope juniors will follow the path well,” he said and smiled.
Still a role model for his juniors, the person he admires is LPGA Tour legend Nancy Lopez (USA). Lopez approached Pak Se-ri first when she was a rookie when she couldn’t speak a word of English and took care of him like a mother. Pak Se-ri said, “Lopez is the person who has had the most influence on me.” While hanging out with Lopez, I also wanted to be remembered as ‘Pak Se-ri was a great player, but he was a really great person’.”
Lopez’s influence was also great for Pak Se-ri to run Bars International, a company to help the underprivileged through charity and lead a diverse sports culture. He is pushing to hold a golf tournament in the United States in March next year. It is to give the effect of ‘three groups with one seat’ so that Korean players can experience the US golf course at least once more, raise their game sense before the season starts, and help them economically.
At the end of the interview, I asked if he had any thoughts of wanting to become a golf player again. Pak Se-ri immediately said, “I told you when I retired, but I poured everything into the field without regret or regret. He has no desire to return as a player.” At the same time, he smiled, saying that the present, which was in its second heyday,스포츠토토 was so enjoyable.
He said, “Luckily, I achieved everything I wanted to achieve as a player, and started another challenge while living my second life. It would have been impossible to have such a new dream if the juniors did not follow suit. The direction of my second life became clear. So, I live each day diligently and with a grateful heart.”