Pak Se Ri Turned Down Golf Invitations from Trump and Clinton—Her Reason Revealed

South Korean golfer Pak Se Ri, who has earned approximately $8.9 million in tournament prize money, once turned down invitations to play golf with former U.S. presidents.

Last Sunday, Pak Se Ri appeared on Gourmet Heo Young Man’s Baekban Travel on TV Chosun. During the show, she took a culinary tour of her hometown of Daejeon and reflected on her golf career.

Pak Se Ri shared that she began playing golf at the age of 14, moved to the U.S. at 19, and debuted in the LPGA at 20.

She recalled struggling with a lack of English proficiency in the early days, often avoiding people and feeling intimidated, but she eventually overcame these challenges with confidence and determination.

Pak Se Ri admitted that her time as an LPGA player was not always easy.

She mentioned that she once had to endure an 18-hour car ride to compete in a tournament, an experience that left her with a lingering trauma of long drives.

Pak Se Ri also revealed that she had received invitations to play golf from Bill Clinton and Donald Trump but had declined them.

In response, Heo Young Man asked, “Isn’t it important who you play with in golf? Why didn’t you accept when Trump and Clinton invited you? Playing with them could have come with some perks, right?

Pak Se Ri replied, “I don’t really know about that,” and explained, “I had a clear goal in mind, so I never thought about things like that. I just kept going forward.”

She reflected that her ultimate goals were to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and win the U.S. Open, which she accomplished.

Heo Young Man admired her achievements, saying, “It makes sense to retire at forty after such a career.”