Golf stars love cars

Lydia Ko, the Korean-born New Zealander female professional golfer, has made one of her wishes come true – having her own car. She posted on Instagram on Friday her own photo taken with her first car and a message saying, "My first car!!!!!! So excited to receive this amazing 2016 Lexus RC F Sports Coupe! A big thank you to my new sponsor @lexususa !!!#lexusrcf #nowIcandrive #gotmylearnerspermit."

The 19-year-old golfer recently passed a written test for her driver's license in Florida, the United States where she is living. IMG, her agency, said that having only passed a written test, she has a temporary license and is thus allowed to drive between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. The Lexus is priced at 63,000 U.S. dollars. Although she is still a beginner driver, she might enjoy speed some day.

What golf stars have in common is their love of driving. Korean professional golfer Park Inbee had a sponsorship deal with Italian luxury automaker Ferrari from 2013 to 2015. When she was staying in Korea, she drove a Ferari FF provided by the company. The car is priced at 460 million won (381,426 dollars) in Korea. Park, who won her driver's license at age 15 when she was studying in the U.S., said she enjoyed driving on a quiet highway.

Rory McIlroy, a Northern Irish professional golfer seeking a throne in the sport, owns several supercars. Known as a speed buff, he is reported to particularly cherish his Lamborghini Gallardo, a four-wheel drive sports car priced over 330,000 dollars. The supercar has a maximum speed of 325 kilometers per hour and can reach 100 kilometers per hour in just 3.4 seconds.

Korean golf star Pak Se-ri, the women's coach for the country's national team for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, was called a Mercedez-Benz fan in her heydays as a player. She once owned a CLK500, an ML500 and an ML550.

Many golfers prefer sport utility vehicles because they are convenient in carrying heavy loads. Shin Jiyai, who has a sponsorship contract with Nissan, drives a Ranger Rover when she is in Korea. Kim Sei-young, who made her LPGA debut last year, and Jeon In-ji, who will debut in the LPGA this year, have driver's licenses but do not own their own cars yet.

김종석기자 kjs0123@donga.com