Korean Golf Club Seeks Turnaround at LIV Golf Korea Amid Roster Change

By Yoo Jee-ho BUSAN, May 26 (Yonhap) -- With their homecoming just around the corner, South Korean players competing in LIV Golf claimed Tuesday the vibe on their team remained immaculate despite an abrupt member change. Korean Golf Club, renamed this year after starting out as Iron Heads Golf Club, will make its home debut at LIV Golf Korea, which goes from Thursday to Sunday at Asiad Country Club in the southeastern city of Busan. As part of the overhaul in January, Korean Golf Club brought in three new players in An Byeong-hun, Song Young-han and Kim Min-kyu, as they joined one remaining incumbent, Danny Lee. And just before LIV Golf Korea, Lee, a Korean-born Kiwi, was replaced by Mun Do-yeob. Mun is a six-time winner on the KPGA Tour who leads the domestic circuit's Player of the Year points standings. While there is no denying Mun's credentials as a player, it was fair to wonder how the sudden roster change would affect the rest of Korean Golf Club, which has had its share of issues on the field this year. Korean Golf Club ranks last among 13 teams in LIV Golf standings, and only An, at 37th, is within the top 40 in the individual rankings. At the pretournament presser Tuesday, An, the team's captain, explained the decision to replace Lee was reached by "mutual consent" and was for the benefit of everyone involved. "We spoke with Danny and the league was involved in the process as well. Obviously, it was tough to see him go because we all got along pretty well, but this was for the happiness of everyone," An said. "As team captain, I was part of the discussion to bring Mun Do-yeob aboard. He has been playing really well this year and we felt he was the best South Korean player at the moment." Lee will still play this week, but do so as a wild card player with no team affiliation. An insisted that the change has not affected the team's mood one bit and there will be no awkward feelings between Lee and his former teammates. "It's not like Danny got pushed out. We all want the best for him and he wants the best for us," An added. "Everyone was on board with this. Danny said he was happy with the decision, too." An said he and his teammates had been looking forward to playing on home soil and use LIV Golf Korea as a turning point for what has been a forgettable season to this point. "We are all rookies out here and hopefully, we will play well in front of home fans," An said. "Other teams have played well in their home countries before and we will be banking on some home advantage. I think the grass type and the course setup will work in our favor because we're familiar with them." Mun said he had known An, Song and Kim for a long time and thanked them for welcoming him with open arms. "I've always wanted to play in LIV Golf," Mun said. "This is such a great opportunity. When I first got an offer, I barely hesitated. I wanted to compete against great players here and learn from them as much as possible." Song, who is splitting time between LIV Golf and the Japanese tour, said playing at home is always special. "I only get to play in Korea once or twice a year, and it feels great to be here with such a special tour as this," Song said. "Since our team has made a change, hopefully we can all come together and use this as a turning point." Kim said he was "proud" of playing on home soil as a LIV Golf member and added, "Golf fans in Busan are always so passionate and we will try to feed off their energy this week."