It's no secret: South Korean women are dominating the LPGA Tour. Here's why.

South Korea’s Inbee Park is one of the most successful professional golfers in history. She’s won 17 LPGA tournaments, including 7 Major titles, and she’s held the world No. 1 ranking. In August, the 28-year-old added another accomplishment to the list: She became the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal in golf since 1900. No one was surprised that a South Korean woman stood atop the podium in Rio. In fact, the surprise was that Park was the only South Korean to earn a coveted podium spot. After all, four of the top 10 female players in the world are from South Korea … and that doesn’t even include Park, who struggled with an injury last season.

What explains South Korea’s success?

When South Korea’s Se Ri Pak won the LPGA Championship in 1998, she caught the attention of her home country and inspired a generation of young women to take up the sport of golf.

“Se Ri is a golfing legend in Korea,” world No. 8 Ha Na Jang told CNN. “It's an honor for me to try to follow her path.”

Pak may be the reason that so many Korean women are on the course, but other aspects have contributed to their recent LPGA success. Jang sites their competitive relationships as a factor.

"When I look at American players I can see that they're friends, cheering for each other," Jang said. "But there is a lot of rivalry between Korean players. They consider each other as competitors.”

Other players, including Major-winner So Yeon Ryu, have said that the reserved and introspective nature of South Korean culture has helped them on the course. From an early age, Ryu said, she learned to control her emotions and limit her frustration after a bad shot.

What is the KLPGA doing right?

For years, South Korean players like Park and Ryu have sat atop LPGA leaderboards. More recently, however, they’ve been joined by a group of formidable young Koreans who are making their presence felt.

This early success is largely the result of Korea’s competitive KLPGA Tour. The group organizes 78 events per year and its tournaments give away over $20 million in prize money annually. While the Symetra Tour serves as the LPGA’s “minor leagues,” the KLPGA employs a three-tier system.

Korea's Jump Tour caters to pros early in their careers. Then they move on to the Dream Tour and eventually the KLPGA before making the jump to the more lucrative LPGA circuit. By the time players have risen through the KLPGA ranks, they’ve spent years playing busy schedules and facing tough competition.

Recently, Park hosted an LPGA vs. KLPGA event in Korea, and it was clear that not much separates players from the two leagues. Though the LPGA team boasted five top 20 players, they beat the KLPGA team by just two points.

Can America Catch Up?

Remember when we thought that Michelle Wie and her unmatched power were the future of women’s golf? It turns out we were wrong -- precision is the key to success on the LPGA Tour and there’s evidence to back it up.

Look at the average driving distances of LPGA players. Eleven of the 20 longest hitters are American, while only two are Korean. Still, South Korean women are outpacing their American counterpart thanks, in large part, to the amount of practice they put in from an early age.

One factor that contributes to the disparity between South Korean and American players may be the relative lack of sponsorship available in the United States. By sponsoring athletes, Korean companies are taking the financial burden off families, and making it easier for young players to concentrate on golf.

Though Korean stars have certainly had an impact on the LPGA Tour, Americans may not be as far behind as they appear. The United States currently holds both the UL International Crown and the Solheim Cup. Additionally, it was one of only two countries to qualify more than two players for the Olympics (South Korea was the other.)

Ultimately, Korean and American players seem to feel that the high level of competition is good for women’s golf overall. LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan agrees.

“Se Ri Pak woke up not only South Korea, but all of Asia, and in turn created a tour for us that we could not have envisioned in 1997,” he said recently.                                                                                                          

The 18Birdies app is now available for iPhone and Android devices. Click here for your free download. For more information, check out all the latest news at 18Birdies.com