From South Korea to UTPB, Sangha Park is making a name for himself in the golf world

ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – The University of Texas Permian Basin Falcons golf team has made some noise this season, thanks to efforts from each player on the team. However, one player stands out compared to the rest and his name is Sangha Park.

Park, who is originally from South Korea, said he fell in love with golf at the age of 10. This was due in part to playing a game one day after school with a friend at a local GameStop. From there, his parents put him in a foundation that was ran by PGA Tour player and mentor KJ Choi.

“In that time Mr. Choi just made his foundation and then luckily I got in his foundation and got to know him since then,” said Park. “My mentor is just the perfect role model to follow. The passion is just crazy and I’m just learning from him trying to break his records.”

At the age of 19, Park would make the sacrifice and move from South Korea and make his way here to West Texas starting his golf career at Odessa College, before going to UTPB.

Troy Lopez, who was a teammate of Park when he was playing for UTPB, is now one of Park’s coaches. He tells us that he’s seen the growth and maturity of Park from when they initially met to where they are now.

“Sangha and mines relationship go back to when I played here at UTPB and so I saw him when he first got in the states and didn’t know English. And now he’s come a long way as far as where he’s at in his process and who he is as a person. As a golfer he’s tremendously developed over the years. I know it’ll propel him into something amazing down the road.”

And speaking of down the road, for Park he has one thing on his mind for his career, and that’s making it to the PGA Tour one day.

When asked what it means to be the number one ranked golfer in the NCAA D2 rankings, Park said it feels good but there’s still many players that play better than him. He explains that the ranking reflects off the practice and the work that he’s been putting in.

The Falcons were recently seeded as the number four seed in the NCAA D2 Men’s Golf Championships. The competition will take place from May 9 until May 11.

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