Now that the Winter Olympics have left Sochi (just in time for Russia to push towards World War III), it is time to look towards the next Olympic Games. Rio 2016 is going to be a huge turning point for golf, as it will be the first time in 102 years. I am incredibly excited about that, as both a golf fan and as an Olympics nerd. I will be watching Rio with my eyes wide open.
After Rio,we move to the winter resort town of PyeongChang, South Korea for the Winter Olympics. One tradition of the Opening Ceremony is that several well known athletes of the host country get to carry the Olympic torch into and around the stadium, before lighting the cauldron (an honor usually reserved for an iconic Olympic athlete of that country). The Korean Olympic Committee has four years to figure out who they should put in this torch relay, but I think I can help them on a few fronts.
In terms of lighting the cauldron, that decision is easy - the honor should go to Yuna Kim. It is the Winter Olympics after all, and Yuna won one gold medal in the most prestigious event in the Games, while also being robbed of a second one. She is considered the Queen, a role model for people in the sport as a whole, not just within the Republic Of Korea. While I may be accused of being a prisoner of the moment, I can not think of anyone more worthy of starting off the games than Yuna.
However, there is one athlete that may never get the opportunity to compete at an Olympic Games, and yet deserves to be honored by her home country on the biggest scale, and that is Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak. How influential IS Se Ri, might you ask? Prior to Se Ri's win at the 1998 US Women's Open, there were only two golfers from that country who ever won on a major golf tour - the late Ok-Hee Ku, who did play five years on the LPGA Tour but was far more known for her career on the JLPGA and for governing the KLPGA, and Woo Soon Ko, who won the LPGA Tour stop in Japan two years in a row but never took up membership on the tour. Following Se Ri's victory and break out season, 29 women have won on the LPGA Tour, and another three have won on the men's tour, including 15 majors on the ladies tour and one on the mens. We have also seen two Koreans reach number one in the Rolex Rankings, and last year we saw the first Korean, Inbee Park, win the Player Of The Year Award. Simply put, one woman changed the world, especially the world of golf.
This is Korea's opportunity to thank Se Ri publicly for all she has done for sports in their country. I will say, truthfully, Korea has done a great job in recognizing Se Ri within their country; however, the rest of the world has struggled in giving her the same recognition. This is the biggest sporting event in the world, which will be watched by people all over the world, and is Korea's opportunity to show the world who their heroes are.
Do the right thing, Korea, and give Se Ri the torch!
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