Kim Seong-hyun Wins JPGA Championship "Becomes Japan Major Champ"

Photo by Kim Seong-hyun, provided by All That Sports

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "Both wins are majors."

Kim Seong-hyun (23) has now become a major champion on the Japan Professional Golf Tour (JGTO). On the final day of the Japan PGA Championship (total prize money 100 million yen) held on the 4th at Nikko Golf Club in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan (par 71, 7,236 yards), he added a 3-under-par round to secure a one-stroke victory (13-under-par 271). Since joining the JGTO in 2019, this is his first win, with a prize of 20 million yen (200 million KRW), instantly placing him 14th in the money rankings. It is the first Korean player victory in 1 year and 7 months since Kim Kyung-tae's win at the Casio World Open in December 2019.

Kim Seong-hyun made headlines last August with a surprise victory at the KPGA Championship, a major on the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) tour. When the JGTO was suspended due to COVID-19, he competed on the Srixon (2nd tier) tour and even went through Monday qualifiers to reach the top, causing a stir. He secured a 5-year Korean Tour card and is focusing again on the JGTO this year. He expressed his ambition, saying, "I think this will be a turning point in my golf career," and added, "I plan to challenge the PGA Korn Ferry Tour (2nd tier) in the U.S. this fall."

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