Why do Asian women dominate women's golf?

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World Golf Rankings

1 Lydia Ko, New Zealand (Korean ancestry)
2 Inbee Park, Korea
3 Stacy Lewis. U.S.
4 Shanshan Feng, China
5 Suzann Pettersen, Norway
6 Michelle Wie, U.S. (Korean ancestry)
7 Hyo-Joo Kim, Korea
8 So Yeon Ryu, Korea
9 Karrie Webb, Australia
10 Lexi Thompson, U.S.
Why do Asian women, and in particular Korean women, dominate women's golf? LINK

Three of the the world's top ten, plus two more who are of Korean ancestry. Is there something about their athletic/intellectual traits that gives them an edge? Or is it simply that they are more interested in the sport, and driven to succeed? Why, I ask? Why?

/Edited for accuracy.

 
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Including Ko and Wie is tough. Ko lived in New Zealand since she was a toddler and Wie is born and raised American.

If I did have to explain why Asians were successful in women's golf, I would say population and work ethic. What is odd is that golf in many Asian countries is much more expensive than the US and Europe. Golf really is a status symbol there.

 
I don't know much about Park, Feng, Kim, or Ryu.

Ko was introduced to the game at 5 in New Zealand. By 7, she was competing in the national amateur events. Sounds like she was/is just supremely gifted.

Wie was going to be a professional golfer whether she wanted to or not. If you don't know much about her family, they are nuts. Her mom won the South Korea Amateur only a few years before Michelle was born. Golf was in the family. They raised her to be professional golfer. She was working with David Leadbetter before she was even a teenager. Her parents sit on the range and hound her and follow her for every round jotting down notes. Many think that is the reason she decided to go to Stanford, to get away from them and be a normal kid as much as she could.

 
I met a Korean guy who was a professional golfer once. I don't think he was famous, it was just what he did. If I had to guess, I would say it's probably just more of a craze there, as a professional pursuit -- whereas in the U.S, there's such widespread interest in football, basketball, soccer, hockey...

I think they kick our butts in squash, too.

 
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