Bridging the Culture Gap at the Reignwood LPGA Classic

There’s a good deal more to a golf tournament than golf.  For everybody who’s playing at the Reignwood LPGA Classic, the infamous Beijing smog is a constant companion.  Tournament leader Jessica Korda reports that the smog is making the air heavy and the greens bouncier.  Both Korda and Stacy Lewis report that all the players are coughing.  “Everybody’s having to deal with it,” Lewis reports.

For Shanshan Feng, the smog is probably a minor distraction.  Feng is struggling to manage the distractions coming from the very enthusiastic gallery that’s following every shot she makes.

"It makes me feel like I’m a star, but I just really appreciate for the fans to come. . .  I did play under pressure because I wanted to do well, but actually I think the pressure made me like couldn’t give it all, and [on Saturday] I’m going to give it all. Shanshan Feng"

Then there are the challenges of managing one’s social life in a multicultural world.  Sehashan Feng, Inbee Park, and So Yeon Ruy have been playing golf together in multicultural, multilungual environments for years.   On the course they’re fierce competitors. They were paired for the first round at the Reignwood LPGA Classic.

Off the course the course Feng, Park and Ryu are friends.  They all operate in at least 2 languages. And, despite their broad professional experiences, they are all Asian girls, raised by Asian parents, in traditional Asian environments.

So after they finished their round, signed their cards, and tended to the details of getting their equipment ready for the 2nd round, they gathered up some of the Chinese players who playing at the Reignwood and went out to dinner together to a “very famous Beijing duck place,” Shanshan explained.

Shanshan’s parents accompanied the group, as did Inbee’s father and So Yeon’s mother, who are in Beijing watching their daughters play golf this weekend.  The girls were a little nervous about the parents coming along.

Shanshan explained, “their parents didn’t speak Chinese and our parents didn’t speak Korean.”   The girls communicate using English, but the parents don’t speak English either.

How did it all work out?  Well, the Beijing beer bridged the culture gap.  Shanshan reported, “they drank it and they’re like buddies now.”

Inbee agreed.  The Beijing beer was the key.  “Everybody drink beer and we did like Chinese way of cheers.”