After a storm comes a calm for the Golf Empress

To Park In-bee, the Korean female golfer affectionately dubbed the "Golf Empress," the year of 2016 is posing a series of hardships.

On January 29, Park participated in the Pure Silk-Bahama LPGA Classic but dropped out of the contest on the first found, citing a back injury after posting a seven-over 80. Recovering at home in Las Vegas, she received the unexpected news early this month that her father-in-law was in a critical condition. Park and her husband and swing coach Nam Gi-hyeop hurried their way to his hometown in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province of Korea, but by the time they arrived, the father-in-law had already passed away. Before boarding the plane in Las Vegas, she had a video chat with her father-in-law who missed her dearly, and Park was wistful that she was not able to see him on his deathbed.

His condition dramatically deteriorated after having stomach cancer surgery last year, but it has been reported the deceased did not tell his son or his daughter-in-law about his health condition because he was worried that the bad news might affect Park’s performance. Park, who married the youngest son among the two sons and two daughters of the family, is reported to have been endeared greatly by her father-in-law.

After staying at the funeral home for three days, Park In-bee visited a driving range in Seongnam on Wednesday and began to practice again. Beside her was her husband. Park is planning to test her shots, spending two hours a day at a driving range, and get a medical treatment for her left wrist as well as her back. “I feel that I am roughly 60 percent recovered. It is important that I bring both my physical and mental conditions back to normal,” said Park In-bee.

“After achieving the grand slam and securing a berth at the Hall of Fame last year, she seemed to have lost her goal," one of her friends said. "The rough patch she has gone through recently has made her stronger and more mature.”

Scheduled to fly to Thailand for her comeback in the Honda LGPA Thailand, Park is aiming at winning a back-to-back championship at the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore next month. “I will try my best and show my fans that I have come back in shape,” said the golf empress.

김종석기자 kjs0123@donga.com