Heo In-hoe vs Moon Kyung-jun "I'll Get 2 Wins First"... What About the Foreign Legion?

At SK Telecom Open "Race to 2 Wins", Ham Jeong-woo Defends Title, Kim Kyung-tae and Noh Seung-yeol "Overseas Players Join"

‘Top prize winner’ Heo In-hoe aimed for his ‘second victory’ at the SK Telecom Open.

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] It is a ‘2-win competition’ between Heo In-hoe (34) and Moon Kyung-jun (39ㆍNH Nonghyup Bank).

The KPGA SK Telecom Open held on the 10th at Pinx Golf Club in Seogwipo, Jeju Island (Par 71ㆍ7,316 yards) is a special match with a total prize money of 1.2 billion won. Winners from the 2021 season such as Lee Dong-min (36), Moon Do-yeop (30ㆍDB Insurance), and Kim Dong-eun (24) all participated, and 2019 champion Ham Jung-woo (27ㆍHana Financial Group) is attempting to defend his title after two years. Kim Kyung-tae (35) and PGA Tour member Noh Seung-yul (31) also appeared, heating up the atmosphere even more.

Heo In-hoe is currently ranked first in prize money (376 million won). By securing his second win and the winner’s prize of 250 million won in this tournament, he can solidify his position as ‘Number 1’. He claimed his fourth career win after 6 years and 1 month since the Dongbu Fire Promy Open in April 2015 by winning the GS Caltex Maekyung Open on the 9th of last month, and accelerated his momentum with a third-place finish at the Munsingwear Match that ended on the 6th. Above all, his ‘stingy putting’ with the best average putts per hole (1.69) is powerful.

Mungyeongjun is aiming for a comeback at the SK Telecom Open.

Moon Kyung-jun is third (196 million won) and can overtake the lead in one go. He won the KB Financial Live Championship on the 30th of last month but lost his pride after being eliminated in the first round of the Munsingwear Match. It is interesting that the ‘19-year-old young gun’ Kim Joo-hyung (CJ Logistics) is second (225 million won). Although he has no wins, he leads the points race with three top 10 finishes including two second places, ranking first in the overall points (1,942 points). His consistency is remarkable with the best average score (70.47 strokes).

Ham Jung-woo’s lack of finishing strength is a variable. This year, he led the leaderboard after the second round twice but dropped to tied third and tied twelfth respectively. He declared, “I will play enjoying it with the mindset that it will happen someday.” This time, he is motivated by the chance to become the third player in 19 years to achieve ‘back-to-back wins’ since Park Nam-shin (62ㆍ1999~2000) and Wi Chang-soo (49ㆍ2001~2002). He added his determination, saying, “I will bring my shot sense to the highest level.”

Choi Jin-ho (37), champion in 2015 and 2017, urgently needs to escape his slump. After winning the 2017 Order of Merit and moving to the European Tour to gain world league experience, he has been on a downward slope. This year, he missed the cut in all four stroke play events. Kim Kyung-tae (35) is aiming to break his streak of three runner-up finishes in 2011, 2014, and 2016. With Noh Seung-yul joining, the foreign contingent’s strength is formidable.

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