Staff WriterLIV Golf Korea swings into Jack Nicklaus Golf Club this week, and if the buzz around Incheon were any louder you’d need ear-protection just to order kimchi.
It’s the league’s first dance on South Korean soil, event 7 of 14, and, as Iron Heads GC captain Kevin Na keeps reminding anyone within a 3-wood, “it’s a completely different style from traditional golf, and it’s bound to be a refreshing change.”
The Iron Heads’ “MAJOR” at home
Na, Seoul-born but Vegas-hardened, has lobbied for a Korean stop since LIV’s launch. Now he, Yubin Jang and Incheon’s own Danny Lee finally get their wish—and they’re treating it like Masters Sunday with a side of bulgogi.
“Having LIV Golf held in my hometown Incheon, it doesn’t get more special than this,” Lee beamed. “I was born in Incheon and live there until I was in elementary school.
That’s why LIV Golf being held in Incheon feels incredibly meaningful to me. The fact that I’ll be competing there alongside the world’s top players still feels surreal, and I can’t wait to play in front of the fans.”
Lee’s joy is matched by Na’s marketing gusto. “Especially in Korea, where there’s a growing number of golf fans in their 20s and 30s, I think the response will be even stronger. LIV Golf is truly appealing to the younger generation.”
With three Koreans on the same roster, Iron Heads see a rare chance to convert home cheers into their first team trophy.
As Lee put it, “Having three players born in Korea on the same team and representing Asia makes this really meaningful.”
What’s at stake (besides bragging rights)
- Dates: May 2-4, 2025
- Format: 54-hole shotgun start; scores from every player count toward the team total—no hiding the rookie in the corner.
- Purse: $25 million ($4 million to the solo champ, $3 million split among the winning four-ball).
- Field: 54 players, 13 teams, two wild cards. Four Korean-born pros tee it up: Na, Lee, Jang and RangeGoats stand-in Minkyu Kim.
- Season context: Halfway mark—Joaquin Niemann leads the individual race, Legion XIII tops the team standings.
Course notes: a Nicklaus design with presidential DNA
Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea isn’t just another manicured lawn. The layout hosted the 2015 Presidents Cup—still remembered for Branden Grace’s five-point blitz—and now becomes the first track to stage both that biennial dust-up and a LIV event.
More than half its holes flirt with water, so expect enough splashdowns to fill the Han River.
Storylines that could steal the show
- Local boom time: Roughly 6.24 million Koreans swung a club at least once in 2023—17 percent of adults—so galleries should look like BTS just announced a reunion.
- Koepka vs. Niemann: They’re tied atop LIV’s all-time wins list (five apiece). One more for either and the stat sheet tilts.
- Pre-major tune-up: Twelve LIV regulars head to the PGA Championship next. Nothing sharpens wedges like a $4 million carrot.
How to watch without losing sleep
U.S. viewers catch all three rounds on FOX or FS1; everywhere else, hit the LIV Golf app or your local broadcast partner.
First tee shots roar off at 11:05 a.m. local Friday—just as the Seoul office crowd is contemplating a long “lunch meeting.”
Final word
LIV Golf Korea isn’t merely another stop on the globe-trotting circuit; it’s the league dropping its neon-lit carnival smack in the middle of one of golf’s fastest-growing markets.
If Na, Lee and Jang can bottle hometown adrenaline, the Iron Heads may well hoist that elusive team trophy.
And if they don’t? Well, as David Feherty might say, they’ll at least have given the koi in Jack’s ponds plenty to talk about.
Expect birdies, fireworks, and at least one commentator struggling to pronounce “Coupang” on live TV.
In other words—don’t miss a swing.
