Seri Pak, the LPGA pioneer, will be returning to the tour as a tournament host in 2024. She will join Annika Sorenstam & Michelle Wie West. The South Korean will be the host of the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship, which has been renamed to Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship. It will take place at Palos Verdes Golf Club near Los Angeles. Pak, who was known as Se Ri in her LPGA days, will now be called Seri.
The DIO Implant LA Open was the name of the Palos Verdes race, which Ruoning Yun won last year.
The 2024 Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship will take place from March 21-24. There will be 144 participants and a prize fund of $2 million. This is an increase of $250,000 over the last season.
Pak, 46 years old, retired in 2016 from the LPGA after a career which transformed the game of women. Pak, 46, won two majors as an LPGA rookie in 1998. This included the U.S. Women’s Open in Blackwolf Run, which inspired generations of South Koreans. She won 25 titles on the LPGA, and 39 worldwide.
Seri Pak, the first Korean to play on the LPGA Tour, was the only player in 1998. In 2016, when Seri Pak retired, there were over 40 Korean LPGA Tour players. Pak’s stunning win at the 1998 U.S. Women’s Open encouraged many Korean women into golf. (Getty Images)
Pak was the sole South Korean to join the LPGA tour in 1998. In 2008, when Pak retired, there were 34 South Koreans competing on the LPGA full-time, and 27 of them had won an LPGA. Pak’s win inspired South Koreans not only to play the game but also to dominate it.
Hyo Joo said, “In America you’d say Tiger Woods,” once a major winner. In Korea, Seri Pak is the best.
Pak retired from the game in 2012 with a total of $12,583,713 and 123 career Top 10s. She was the first South Korean to be inducted into LPGA Hall of Fame.
Pak stated in a press release that it was an honor to host the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship, which will be held at the Palos Verdes Golf Club. Mentoring the next generation and giving back to a game I love are at the heart of what I do. I’m thrilled to launch this new partnership, and to elevate this tournament to a new level on the LPGA Tour.”
Fir Hills is a Silicon Valley investment firm that has signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with the LPGA.
