"When I was younger, I was just following Se Ri and Kimmy around," Jang said, referring to Se Ri Pak and Mi Hyun Kim, who came on the tour before her. "They were three years older than me. But it was still hard."

From the modest beginnings of Koreans coming over to play at the highest level of women's professional golf, the numbers now have exploded. More and more players qualify for the LPGA Tour every year, and the number is now at 47.

The pipeline of Korean players continues to flow. About 35 players from South Korea are competing on the Duramed Futures Tour, the LPGA's developmental circuit. The 36 Koreans at the U.S. Women's Open include the top five money leaders on the KLPGA tour.

The numbers figure to keep growing, and the rest of the women's golf world needs to keep up.

"It's not about adjusting, it's about how you perform out here," said Jimin Kang, who was born in South Korea but attended high school in Seattle and college at Arizona State. "The LPGA is worldwide. It's for whoever can play the best out of the whole world. It's great to see all the Korean girls who are good enough to be on the tour."

For those coming over to play, the comfort level is much better than when Jang began competing in the United States.

"Right now, you can ask 49 or 50 players out here for help instead of one or two," said Jang, winner of the 2005 Women's British Open. "It's easier to learn from them. It's a lot easier than 10 years ago. It's more like family, more like a hometown golf tournament, more comfortable."

The latest wave from South Korea is one of blue-chip players. Jiyai Shin, 21, not only is running away with rookie of the year over competition such as Michelle Wie, but also is the points leader in the player-of-the-year chase over established stars such as Lorena Ochoa and Cristie Kerr.

There is 21-year-old Inbee Park, the defending champion at this week's U.S. Women's Open, and 21-year-old In-Kyung Kim who, like Park, played in the United States in American Junior Golf Association tournaments and captured the U.S. Girls Junior championship.

With Pak, who touched off the Korean golf boom in 1998 with a spectacular LPGA rookie year, and the early players setting the tone and educating the next group of players on what to expect, the transition to a new culture had been made easier.

"It's like the first generation, second generation, and third generation," said Minsuhk Choi, writer for the JNA Golf News Agency of Seoul. "The first generation, like Se Ri and Mi Hyun, didn't have enough information about the LPGA. But now the third generation, they have that information."

Choi said at least one parent travels with most of the Korean players. They dine together, hang out together, and listen to music together. The support and work ethic are important reasons the players are so successful.

"It's the support that parents give to the players," Park said. "They're putting the most hours in on the driving range or the putting green compared to everybody else. They work very hard."

The tour was entangled in controversy last year when LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens demanded that Korean players become more proficient in English - to deal better with sponsors, pro-am partners, and the media - or be threatened with suspension. The resulting uproar prompted the pronouncement to be rescinded.

Choi, however, said that the Korean players "totally understood and agreed with" Bivens on the need to speak English, and that they have studied hard to learn the language.

"It's a different culture," he said. "Some Korean players are very shy and not comfortable speaking [English] in public. In Korean culture, we don't like to speak in public or in front of the media. We want to be perfect. If not, we're just afraid to say anything."

Regarding players seeking a grasp of the English language, Jang said, "They'd better be.

"We get a lot of help if someone doesn't speak English," she said. "We have tutors. It's a lot easier to learn than a couple of years ago."

Jang was referring to the LPGA's Cross-Cultural Professional Development Program, which helps players understand different languages and cultures. The program also tailors individual tutors to the needs of a player to help her for situations like pro-am events and media interviews.

The LPGA's Korean community also is helping out in the communities of the nation where they work.

Nearly two weeks ago, a group of 30 Korean players donated their time to the Ronald McDonald House of Northwest Ohio, cooking, cleaning, and doing yard work. They also took up a collection and made a contribution of more than $13,700.

"We talked and we wanted to do this," Jang said. "Everybody had a really great time."

After she won the Women's Open, Park donated $50,000 to LPGA/USGA Girls Golf to help it purchase golf clubs.

"We want to do more," Jang said. "We've always made money here. We have charities in Korea and we donate to them. But I think we should do more here to help them and share with them."