Seomyeongjae Winter Tour Round 1 Victory "Name Change Effect?"

Leading by 1 Stroke After Round 1, Final Round 2 Canceled Due to Heavy Snowfall at Gunsan Golf Club, Jeonbuk

Seongjae Seo is taking a commemorative photo immediately after winning the first round of the Winter Tour. Photo by KPGA

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] Seo Myeong-jae (30) won the first round of the Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Winter Tour (total prize money 40 million won).

He took the lead by one stroke with a 2-under-par score the previous day, and the second round was canceled due to heavy snowfall at Gunsan Golf Club in Jeonbuk (par 71, 7,143 yards) on the 29th. The winner's prize money is 8 million won. Seo entered the Korean Tour in 2012 and played for three seasons including 2014 and 2017. His best result was a tie for 7th place at the 2017 Kaido Golden V1 Open. Last year, he competed on the Srixon (second-tier) Tour and secured his 2021 season card by finishing tied for 9th in the year-end Qualifying Tournament (QT).

This tournament is a mini-tour held ahead of the Korean Tour. Given the difficulties of overseas training camps due to COVID-19, it provides players with a valuable opportunity to fine-tune their competitive shot skills. Even top amateurs participate. The tour continues for a total of five rounds on February 4, 18, 25, and March 11. Seo Myeong-jae said, "My parents consulted a naming expert, but were told that my original name (Seo Jeong-min) lacked a gallery, so I changed it," adding, "It seems to have worked very well," expressing his joy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.