CEO Lee Seonghwan's 18-Year-Old Son Lee Byungho: "Winning Is My Goal"

Hole-in-One on 8th Hole of LX Championship 1R
Studied in US Middle School, Won AJGA-Sanctioned Tournament
Father is CEO of Sema Sports, Expected to Enter Pepperdine University

A wave of amateur sensation from American international students is about to sweep through the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour.

The protagonist is Lee Byung-ho, a 12th-grade student at Spring Creek Academy High School in Dallas, Texas. On the 31st, at the LX Championship (total prize money 600 million KRW) held at The Haven Country Club (par 72, 7,293 yards) in Daebudo, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, he recorded a hole-in-one, three birdies, one bogey, and one double bogey in the first round. Born in 2005, Lee Byung-ho showcased a powerful swing emanating from his tall stature of 195 cm. His precise shots, missing the green only twice, were impressive.

Lee Byung-ho especially enjoyed the luck of a hole-in-one on the 8th hole (par 3, 135 yards). His tee shot with a 46-degree wedge ball was sucked into the hole. However, it was regrettable that on the final 18th hole (par 5), his tee shot with a driver went far left and became out of bounds (OB), resulting in a double bogey.

Lee Byung-ho is teeing off at the 13th hole during the first round of the Korean Tour LX Championship.
[Photo by KPGA]

Lee Byung-ho is already a well-known strong player on the American junior stage. After sweeping the domestic scene as an elementary school student, he went to study in the U.S. from middle school and won several trophies in tournaments organized by the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA). In 2020, he received the Texas Junior Golf Player of the Year award, and last year, he won the Polo Golf Junior Classic, a major national tournament in the U.S. junior circuit.

Lee Byung-ho is running toward his goal of joining the U.S. Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) Tour. His admission to Pepperdine University in California, known for its prestigious college golf program, has already been confirmed for next August. Lee Byung-ho is famous as the son of Lee Sung-hwan, CEO of Sema Sports Marketing. Lee Sung-hwan invited the 'Golf Emperor' Tiger Woods (USA) to Korea and made a big hit with the Hyundai Card Super Match series, becoming a leading sports marketing expert in Korea. Stars such as Park Se-ri, Shin Ji-ae, Choi Na-yeon, and Yang Hee-young have passed through his management. Currently, he manages Ko Jin-young, Park Sung-hyun, Ahn Na-rin, and Yoo Hae-ran.

Lee Byung-ho appeared in a tournament on a Korean course for the first time in six years since going to study in the U.S. He said, "I could have shot 8 under par today," expressing regret that "I missed too many birdie putts by just a few steps." He added, "The Korean course is not unfamiliar at all. However, since the course has steep uphill and downhill sections, I was very careful with distance control, but I had already gotten a good feel through practice rounds, so there was no problem."

Regarding the double bogey on the 18th hole, Lee Byung-ho reflected, "I tried to attack the course with a draw shot, which I don't usually use, but it hooked left. It was a silly mistake. Tomorrow, I will hit tee shots with a safe fade shot." Lee Byung-ho has never participated in a professional tournament even in the U.S. This is his first professional tournament experience. He said, "I am not nervous or trembling at all," and showed strong confidence, saying, "My parents say passing the cut is the immediate task, but my goal is to win."

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