Park Paul, AGLF Secretary-General, "We Need to Pioneer a Bigger Market"

Major in Business Administration 'Successful Sports Marketer'
Hosting LPGA Tour and KLPGA Tour
All-in on Discovering Players and Creating New Markets

Park Paul, Secretary General of the Asia Golf Leaders Forum (AGLF), is busy. After struggling with the difficulties caused by COVID-19 for the past three years, he is now actively pioneering the market as the "COVID era" comes to an end. In an interview with Asia Economy on the 7th, Secretary General Park said with a bright smile, "We are working to create a stage for Asian female players to compete," adding, "It is exciting to expand the golf market even further."

AGLF was launched in 2020. It is an organization established to promote women's golf in the Asia-Pacific region. Led by Korea, golf associations from Japan, China, Australia, and New Zealand joined hands. Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and Taiwan also joined. There are 13 countries and a total of 14 organizations. Korea is represented by the Korea Golf Association (KGA) and the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA). AGLF also leads the Ladies Asian Tour (LAT) series.

AGLF Secretary General Paul Park expressed his aspiration, saying, "I want to work hard for the development of women's golf in the Asia-Pacific region. I will create a broader golf market."

Secretary General Park, who has been with AGLF since its inception, explained the purpose of establishing the organization by saying, "If you look at the women's golf world rankings, Asian players dominate the top ranks," and "We are putting our efforts into nurturing Asian golf to produce the world's best female players." Currently, among the top 10 in the women's golf world rankings, five are Asian players: No. 2 Ko Jin-young, No. 3 Lydia Ko (New Zealand), No. 5 Lin Xiyu (China), No. 9 Minjee Lee (Australia), and No. 10 Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand).

AGLF is led by Korea. The core figures include Kim Jung-tae, former Chairman of Hana Financial Group and KLPGA Chairman; Park Eun-kwan, Chairman of Simonne; and Kang Hyung-mo, Chairman of KGA. At its launch, former KGA Chairman Huh Kwang-soo and former KLPGA Chairman Kim Sang-yeol also joined forces. In particular, Chairman Kim Jung-tae showed great interest in golf and provided support. For 10 years, he was the title sponsor of the only LPGA Tour event in Korea, and since 2019, he has also hosted KLPGA Tour events. He supported players such as Park Se-ri, Kim In-kyung, Yoo So-yeon, Park Sung-hyun, and Park Hee-young to succeed. He is also the inaugural chairman of AGLF. Secretary General Park emphasized, "This organization could be launched thanks to the interest and help of many people."

Secretary General Park is a successful sports marketer. He majored in Business Administration at Boston College in the United States and in 2004 took charge of Kolon Golf Marketing and the David Leadbetter Golf Academy operations team. Later, in 2007, he was appointed head of sports marketing at Hana Financial Group and fell deeply in love with golf. Since 2010, he has successfully led the LPGA Tour Hana Bank Championship and discovered many players, raising the status of Korean golf.

Secretary General Park turned his attention to the Thai market to expand Hana Financial Group's reach. In 2020, he recruited Patty Tavatanakit (Thailand), who went on to become a "major queen" by winning the LPGA Tour ANA Inspiration the following year. Park said, "While looking for promising players not only domestically but also in the Asian region, Tavatanakit was rumored to have been a long hitter since childhood, showing potential, which led to sponsorship. I think I was lucky," humbly stated.

Secretary General Park emphasized the importance of foreign languages to juniors interested in sports marketing. He said, "You have to study English hard," stressing, "English is essential to keep up with trends and networking in the sports industry." He added, "Sports administrators and sports marketers are definitely different," advising, "Sports marketers need a positive and proactive attitude. They also need perseverance to keep challenging themselves."

Dean Murphy, President of the New Zealand Golf Association, is taking a commemorative photo with Secretary General Paul Park after joining AGLF.

Secretary General Park is preparing for the Simonne APAC Cup to be held this December at Pondok Indah Golf Club in Jakarta, Indonesia. Last year, it was held as the only national team competition in the Asia-Pacific region, and this year, amateur national representatives from each country will be given the opportunity to participate. During the tournament, issues related to Asian women's golf will be addressed, and a new chairman will be elected. AGLF is also pushing to establish the LAT Series Winter League, which will hold a total of eight tournaments across Asia-Pacific countries from December to March each year. Secretary General Park said, "The future of AGLF is hopeful. It is coexistence, not competition with other tours," and pledged, "We will put more effort into creating an environment where players can compete with excitement."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.