Yuwon Golf Foundation: Pro Golfers Who Grew Into World-Class Players Extend a Warm Wave of Donations to the Yuwon Golf Foundation That Supported Them in Their Amateur Days

• A wave of donations continues from pro golfers such as Jang Yu-bin, Lee Je-young, Sung Yu-jin, and Choi Hye-jin, who received support for lessons and training camps during their amateur years
• The Yuwon Golf Foundation was established in 2015 by Chairman Kim Young-chan of the GOLFZON Newdin Group, who pooled his private funds to nurture elite golfers and advance the golf industry
• The Yuwon Golf Foundation has created a virtuous cycle in which pro golfers who have grown into world-class players give back to support the growth and development of their junior amateur counterparts

Renowned pro golfers who came up through the Yuwon Golf Foundation(Chairman Kim Young-chan) — which has nurtured Korea’s promising golf talents and served as a cradle of global golf prospects — have continued to donate to the Yuwon Golf Foundation, asking that the funds be used for their junior players.

On the 3rd, the Yuwon Golf Foundation received a 40 million won scholarship from Korea Professional Golfers’ Association(KPGA) player Jang Yu-bin(22, Shinhan Financial Group), and on the 7th, it received a 10 million won scholarship raised by Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association(KLPGA) player Lee Je-young(23, MG Community Credit Cooperatives) and her fan club ‘Lovely Je-young’. A presentation ceremony for a 10 million won scholarship jointly raised by player Sung Yu-jin(24, Hanwha Q CELLS) and her supporters’ association is also scheduled for sometime next January. The full amount of the scholarships delivered to the Yuwon Golf Foundation will be used to nurture aspiring young golfers.

The Yuwon Golf Foundation was established in 2015 by Chairman Kim Young-chan of the GOLFZON Newdin Group, who pooled his private funds to nurture elite golfers and advance the golf industry. Since its founding year, the foundation has carried out programs including the ‘Aspiring Young Golfer Scholarship Sponsorship’ to create an environment in which prospects can devote themselves to golf; from 2017, the ‘International Tournament Entry Fee Support’ to broaden young golfers’ international experience and the ‘Outstanding Junior Athlete Scholarship Selection’ to provide motivation and a sense of achievement by selecting players who serve as role models for their peers; and from 2020, the ‘Professional Golfer Support Program’ to broaden the foundations of Korean golf.

Over roughly the 10 years since its launch, the foundation has raised about 11.3 billion won and used it to nurture aspiring young golfers and advance the golf industry, with the number of beneficiaries reaching some 1,000 players. Players who received support for lessons and training camps during their amateur years have now grown into world-class athletes, establishing the foundation as a gateway for promising golf talents.

The Yuwon Golf Foundation’s transparent and fair selection and sponsorship have inspired pro players to join in. Following a donation by player Choi Hye-jin in 2019 and donations by player Sung Yu-jin in 2022 and 2024, a virtuous cycle has now taken shape in which Yuwon Golf Foundation “kids” have grown up and give back to support the growth and development of their junior amateur players.

At the donation ceremony held on the 7th, player Lee Je-young said, “During my youth, I was able to learn the joy of giving by competing in the Yuwon Golf Foundation’s pro-am golf tournaments” and added, “Now I intend to take the lead in sincere giving for the junior players who will help lead the golf industry together with me”.

Kim Young-chan, Chairman of the Yuwon Golf Foundation, said, “I believe our players’ donations will play a meaningful role in helping their juniors grow while dreaming of a better future” and added, “Moved by the warm spirit of these donations, the Yuwon Golf Foundation will also generously devote its resources to advancing the golf industry and nurturing golf talent”.

Meanwhile, player Jang Yu-bin, who made this donation, stood out from his youth and was selected as a regional aspiring young golfer scholarship recipient from 2017 to 2020, receiving support from the foundation. Even after turning pro last October, he has maintained his special ties with the Yuwon Golf Foundation, receiving support for stable tour activities through the Professional Golfer Support Program.

Player Lee Je-young, in turn, formed her bond with the Yuwon Golf Foundation through appearances in the pro-am charity golf tournament ‘Daddy-Long-Legs Golf Tournament’ and in the GTOUR. Lee Je-young has also been chosen for the foundation’s Professional Golfer Support Program since 2022 and is receiving training expenses.

Player Sung Yu-jin was selected as a 2017 scholarship recipient of the GOLFZON Leadbetter Academy(GLA) and received a systematic education program, then continued her ties with the Yuwon Golf Foundation as a sponsored professional golfer from 2020. Sung Yu-jin claimed her first victory at the 2022 June KLPGA Tour Lotte Open, delivering a 20 million won donation to the Yuwon Golf Foundation, and this past January she again delivered a donation jointly raised with her supporters’ association, taking the lead in a culture of giving for the nurturing of golf talent and the development of junior players.