'19-year-old Young Gun' Kim Juhyung "This time, marching toward a major victory"... What about 'Number 2' Lee Junseok?

Korean Tour's 'Oldest Major' 64th KPGA Championship Opens on 12th, Kim Hanbyeol and Park Sanghyun Compete for Victory

Kim Juhyung challenges for a major victory at the 64th KPGA Championship.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] The '19-year-old young gun' Kim Joo-hyung (CJ Logistics) is now making a push for a major championship victory.

The 64th KPGA Championship, part of the Korean Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Korean Tour, opens on the 12th at A-One Golf Club in Yangsan, Gyeongnam (par 70, 6,971 yards). Established in June 1958, it is the oldest major tournament in Korea, even predating the 'national title' Korean Open by three months. The prizes are exceptional, including a winner's purse of 200 million KRW, a five-year tour card, and a ticket to the PGA Tour's The CJ Cup in October. Top stars such as Lee Joon-seok (Australia), Heo In-hoe (34), Park Sang-hyun (38, Dong-A Pharmaceutical), and Kim Han-byeol (25, SK Telecom) have all gathered for the event.

Kim Joo-hyung is a next-generation prospect who won the Asian (APGA) Tour Panasonic Open in November 2019 at just 17 years old. Last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he returned to Korea and immediately became the youngest champion at the KPGA Gunsan CC Open, which was remarkable. He earned invitations to the PGA Tour as a top-ranked player in the world rankings and gained experience in the big leagues by playing six events. This season, he is focusing on the domestic circuit and plans to challenge the PGA Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament (QT) again in the second half of the year.

It is noteworthy that Kim Joo-hyung has recorded one win, two runner-up finishes, one third place, and one fourth place in nine events, including his victory at the SK Telecom Open in June. He leads all individual titles, including prize money (573.8 million KRW), points for the Order of Merit (3,912 points), and scoring average (69.76 strokes). The absence of defending champion Kim Sung-hyun (23) is regrettable. Last year, he made big news by winning the major after advancing through Monday qualifying. This year, he declared his focus on the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) and moved to Japan.

Lee Jun-seok is aiming to sweep the two major Korean Tour events at the 64th KPGA Championship.

Lee Joon-seok is a player to watch. During the Korean Open in June, he maintained the lead throughout all four rounds and achieved a 'wire-to-wire' victory, adding motivation to aim for winning both major titles. Kim Han-byeol is attempting to win two consecutive tournaments following his victories at the Yamaha and Owners K Open events, while Park Sang-hyun is aiming for his second win of the season and his 10th career victory. Former champions such as Moon Do-yeop (30, DB Insurance) in 2018 and Lee Won-jun (Australia) in 2019 have also joined the competition for the title.

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