Could our ancestors ever have imagined that the royal and ancient game of golf, a game invented and developed over five hundred years ago in Scotland, home to the world’s ruling body and so many world-famous courses, would ever become so popular? Perhaps. What they could never have foreseen though is that citizens of a nation-state which was only formed some 70 years ago on the other side of the world, would become so successful at playing it. Except they have and they haven’t.
Having three players in the ‘Top 100’ of the World Ranking List is no big deal. Even Scotland has one! But what would really astonish our ancestors, and has many of the ‘elite’ in the hallowed halls of our most prestigious clubs spluttering into their gin and tonics is that one country has thirty-seven nationals in their ‘Top 100’. I am course referring to the women of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), a species of golfer which was not even allowed inside certain clubhouses until recently. I wonder what would old Willie Auchterlonie make of the fact that there are more South Korean women called Lee (10) and Kim (7) in the ‘women’s Top 100’ than there are men from England, Scotland Ireland and Wales combined (14) in the male equivalent? Jings! (Just for the record Jings, thank goodness, is not a South Korean name. It’s Chinese).
I wonder how many of these elegant young women will be sporting the South Korean tartan on the course this season. Keep a sharp lookout.
And another thing. Congratulations from Scotland to Boon Jong-Ho, Director and Co-writer of ‘Parasite’ the film which picked up four awards at the 92nd Academy Awards recently. This South Korean production is the first-ever foreign-language film to win the Oscar for Best Picture. A South Korean tartan tie is on its way to Boon Jong-Ho to mark the occasion.
