In 2019, Su Oh returned to Busan, Republic of Korea for the first time in over 15 years for the BMW Ladies Championship. Oh lived in the area as a young girl until moving to Australia and becoming a citizen there, but the 25-year-old said she still treasures her birthplace. She even remembers visiting LPGA International Busan with her father, then called Asiad Country Club.
“This is one of the golf courses that I’ve been to, but just the driving range with my dad before I actually played golf,” said Oh. “I was Facetiming my parents and they were like, ‘Oh! That’s that, and that’s that, I know that.’ I think they really wanted to come here. They actually couldn’t come two years ago because they were moving houses and it was too hard, and this year was really tough [for them to come], too.”
In the inaugural tournament, Oh finished in a tie for 13th after entering the final round two shots behind the 54-hole leaders. This year, she enters with two top-seven finishes in her last four starts, including a career-best tie for second at the Cambia Portland Classic. Oh said after the event she secured a quarantine exemption to visit family like her aunt and uncle following the event. Her aunt loves golf, and Oh said she wishes she could follow along outside the ropes this year, but understands the COVID-19 protocols in place for players to compete in the only LPGA Tour event staged in Korea.
“The golf course is a really nice course, every hole is quite different. I think my dad has played this golf course way more than I have,” said Oh. “It’s just different without the fans. We always get quite a lot, and they’re all very passion about golf, especially women’s golf more than men, which I really appreciate when coming over here. A different sort of crowd. Sometimes you can hear them from a couple of fairways away.
“I think I was playing pretty well last year, I don’t think I had a very good finish, but it’s not very often you see fans going down the fairway. I remember that, so we’ll miss that this year. But hopefully a lot of people are watching.”
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