A Happy Place

Bom Jung had not spoken with Jesse Speirs in nearly six years but he was desperate. Jung had flown from his native South Korea to Tulsa, Okla., on a whim, hoping to keep his dream of playing on the PGA Tour alive. He was staying in an Airbnb with a homeless woman and the couple who owned the home. He was driving an old Mazda with 300,000 miles, two spare tires, and a cracked windshield that a friend of a friend had loaned him to use. And he had just been kicked out of Southern Hills Country Club, host of the 2022 PGA Championship, where he had hoped to gain practice privileges. 

Jongbeom Jung (everyone calls him Bom) grew up in South Korea. At 15, Bom fell in love with golf while watching the Korean Open on TV. Just two months after picking up the game, Bom shot an 81. When he was 23, just eight years after picking up the game, he played in the Australian Open, where he missed the cut. 

Bom played the Australian Open again the following year before starting his mandatory two-year military service. After completing his service, Bom played on the China Tour in 2018, where he met Jesse Speirs, and the two became friends. 

After the China Tour, Bom returned to Korea and bounced between the main Korean and Srixon Tour (Korea's KFT). He won on the Srixon Tour in 2022. Then came the loss of his sponsor and an unknown future. 

Last year, the company that had supported Bom for numerous years was sold and pulled his funding. Golf in Korea is so expensive that he couldn't afford to continue playing it without help. With a golf membership costing around $6,000 a month, Bom had no place to practice or play, Bom faced the end of his career. "I didn't sleep well for months," Bom told me. 

"I cried a lot, not tears, but inside," Bom told me about those few months. 

In 2022, Bom watched the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa on a small TV in Korea and fell in love with the golf course. Bom called a friend who had lived in Tulsa for a few years. His friend told him Tulsa was a nice city, that was enough for Bom. On December 20th, Bom Jung packed four outfits in a carry-on, a few pairs of golf shoes, his clubs, and boarded a flight to the United States – he was destined for Tulsa. His plan was to talk his way into practice privileges at Southern Hills, get a job there, and start his run to the PGA Tour. 

"If I stayed in Korea, I could have a decent life but no dream," Bom told me about his decision to come to the States. In Korea his golf career was over, in the United States, there was hope. 

When Bom landed in Tulsa, it was 30 degrees, which was not ideal for playing golf, but he was happy to be stateside. He then headed to pick up the car his friend had arranged for him. The 2012 Mazda had a cracked windshield, two spare tires, 300,000 miles, and countless dents – but it was free. 

"A homeless woman was living there, too," Bom told me as he described the Airbnb he had booked in Tulsa. For $39 a night, he shared a house with the couple who owned the home, and another Airbnb customer who was recently divorced and didn't have a place to live. 

The next day, he headed for Southern Hills, hoping to talk his way into a place to practice. Bom took a video on his phone as he pulled up to the entrance. In the video, his voice is filled with hope and joy. 

He never even made it through the security gate. The guard wouldn't allow him into the club. A flight across the globe and Bom never even got to the parking lot. 

On Christmas Day, Bom was alone. He picked up Waffle House (is there anything more American than Waffle House?) for breakfast and ate it on the patio of Battle Creek Golf Course, a public course where you can tee it up for $33. Then, he played a round of golf alone on the dormant, brown course. 

"I cried more," Bom told me. It was time for another change. That is when he texted Jesse Speirs, his old friend from the China Tour, who lived in Fort Worth. "It's your old friend Bom, I'm in the USA, in Tulsa." Jesse soon responded, "What the hell are you doing in Tulsa?" The pair set up a time to talk later in the day. 

Speirs couldn't believe what he heard from his former practice partner and offered to help. "He asked to stay at my house," Speirs laughed. Speirs told Bom to come in two days, but Bom was too excited to get a new lease on his wild adventure and almost immediately started the six-hour trip south. The car with a spare tire rattled and shook but made the trip. Bom would figure out how to get it back to its owner later. Now, the dream was alive. 

On his way to Texas, Bom contacted fellow Korean and PGA Tour member KH Lee, who agreed to pay for two nights at a hotel until Speirs had a bed for him. "This is your Christmas present," Lee told him. 

48 hours later, the two old friends reunited at the Speirs's house. After catching up on Bom's crazy trip that brought them together, the pair worked on a plan to get Bom a place to practice. Speirs was a Shady Oak member, and quickly got Bom practice privileges. Speirs' wife and daughter agreed Bom could stay in the spare bedroom for an extended stay. Things were turning around. 

Soon, the golf community in the Fort Worth-area rallied around Bom. A couple that heard Bom's story through a member at Oeste Ranch bought Bom a Kia Soul, no strings attached, and Bom was invited to money games in the area. Now, he needed to secure a P1 Visa, which is nearly impossible to obtain as a pro golfer without tour status. Once again, the golf community rallied behind him. 

Bom hired a lawyer in Korea and took numerous trips back home to move the process along (on one of his trips, he returned the Mazda, which, by some miracle, made it back to Tulsa). Armando Villareal, the General Manager of Oeste Ranch Golf Club, and an immigrant himself, sponsored Bom. Speirs wrote a letter on Bom's behalf, as did PGA Tour winner Seung-yul Noh. His lawyer also submitted an old photo of Bom and Chan Ho Park, the famous South Korean pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball. The pair had played together in a pro-am on the Korean Tour years ago, and the lawyer hoped it would help sway the decision-makers. 

Somehow, it all worked and Bom headed back to the States with his visa in hand. He moved back in with the Speirs, this time for a few months.

Since then, Bom has gotten a job at a bar in the Fort Worth area, where he teaches golf a few times a week and works as a host. The Speirs helped him get a small apartment near a driving range that allows him to practice when he doesn’t have time to drive to a course. 

He practices during the day and then works at night. Some guys at the clubs he practices at helped Bom get to the pre-qualifier for the RSM, where he shot even and missed. He couldn't afford Q-school this year but he hopes to play next year. He is currently looking for sponsors. 

A flight across the globe and an old friend have kept the dream alive for Bom Jung. 

"I play golf every day, I am very happy." 

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