LPGA professional players and amateurs reunited Monday and Tuesday at Journey at Pechanga for Kore Pro-Am’s 12th year.
A record 29 pros participated in this year’s tournament, presented by Axalta Dura Coat Products and hosted by Pechanga Resort & Casino. The Pro-Am includes the scramble-format game and the Red Ginseng Challenge, a mini event that tests pros and amateurs in longest drive and hole-in-one chipping and putting.
An all-female team from AmWest Funding paired with the pro Hee Young Park played under 17 to clinch the top spot. Park, a South Korean player, is an LPGA veteran who has won two Tour events. In 2017, she finished third at the McKayson New Zealand Women’s Open.
Meanwhile, Larry Clark, an amateur with Axalta Dura Coat Products, won the longest drive challenge with 277 yards.
Bill Anderson, Pechanga’s chief marketing officer, said the resort and casino has hosted the tournament for six years. “It’s a great partnership,” Anderson said. “To have Korean, English, Malaysian, Chinese players out here is just amazing, and for our guests to play with them is a special treat. Hopefully we’ll keep growing and growing.”
“What’s really exciting is how many of [the players] have said they are excited to return for the second, or the third, the fourth, time,” said Lee Torres, the property’s general manager. “For us, we take a lot of pride in that.”
Among those returning this year were Chella Choi, Jennifer Ha, Vicky Hurst, Jenny Shin and Sarah Jane Smith. The tournament also welcomed a handful of rookies, including Erynne Lee, who finished sixth on the Symetra Tour last year before earning her LPGA membership.
“This is my first pro-am as an LPGA player,” Lee said. “I’ve heard a lot of great things about this event. The atmosphere, the people, playing with the amateur teams. It’s been very exciting.”
The roster also included Tiffany Chan, Brianna Do, Muni He, Tiffany Joh, Megan Khang, Lauren Kim, Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Lee Lopez, Sydnee Michaels, Annie Park, Robynn Ree, Melissa Reid, Demi Runas, Hanule Sky Seo, Kelly Shon, Kelly Tan, Kassidy Teare, Gebriella Then, Andrea Wong, Jing Yan, Julie Yang and Angel Yin.
Sponsors included London Trust Media, Private Internet Access, BMW, Asiana Airlines, Sapporo, CJ E&M, Ocean Radiation, APW, Ten Advertising, Calywire, JSM Financial, Ken Gouw, 011 Communications, AmWest Funding and product sponsors Mama Lion, Bioderma, Cheong Kwan Jang and Dermaesthetics.
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Check out photos from the event below:
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(Instaplak/Kore Asian Media)
(Instaplak/Kore Asian Media)
