'Prize Money No.1' Kim Juhyung vs 'Grand Prize No.1' Park Sanghyun "Who is the Korean Tour 'Number 1'?"

Final Showdown in 2021 Season LG Signature Players Championship: Ham Jeong-woo, Lee Jae-kyung, and Lee Tae-hoon Compete for '2 Wins'

Kim Juhyung is challenging a clean sweep of individual titles at the final event of the 2021 Korean Tour season, the LG Signature Players Championship.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] ‘Top Prize Money Earner’ Kim Joo-hyung (19, CJ Logistics) vs ‘Top Award Winner’ Park Sang-hyun (38, Dong-A Pharmaceutical).

The Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) LG Signature Players Championship (total prize money 1.2 billion KRW), which kicks off its grand journey on the 4th at Seowon Valley Golf Club in Paju, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 7,010 yards), is the final event of the 2021 Korean Tour season. This year, the total prize money has been increased by 200 million KRW, making the stakes even higher, and the winner’s prize money has also risen to 240 million KRW. The competition for various individual titles such as the prize money king, award points, and lowest average score has heated up the atmosphere.

For now, Kim Joo-hyung is the ‘eye of the typhoon.’ He currently leads in prize money (634.94 million KRW), ranks second in award points (4,940.56 points), and is first in average score (69.31 strokes). In June, he won the SK Telecom Open, setting a new milestone as the first ‘teenager with two wins’ in KPGA history, and has entered the ‘top 10’ eight times in 13 tournaments, including one win and two second-place finishes. Since September, he has also participated in the PGA Tour’s The CJ Cup and challenged the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament (QT), managing a world league schedule.

With the winner’s prize money of 240 million KRW, Kim Joo-hyung can surpass Park Sang-hyun’s single-season highest prize money record of 790 million KRW in 2018 and break into the 800 million KRW range. The rankings follow with Seo Yo-seop (25, DB Insurance) in second place (536.62 million KRW), Lee Jun-seok (Australia) third (50.77 million KRW), Ham Jung-woo (27, Hana Financial Group) fourth (492.33 million KRW), and Park Sang-hyun fifth (469.40 million KRW). Mathematically, Lee Tae-hoon (Canada), ranked seventh (397.23 million KRW), is also within reach.

Sanghyun Park competed to defend his first-place position in the LG Signature Players Championship. Photo by KPGA

The award competition has been narrowed down to a showdown between Park Sang-hyun (5,235.02 points) and Kim Joo-hyung. Ham Jung-woo (4,058.87 points) is third and cannot overtake even with the 1,000 points awarded for a win. Park Sang-hyun secured his second win in September at the DGB Financial Group Irvine Open following his July victory at the Woosung Construction Aramir CC Busan-Gyeongnam Open, adding motivation to the ‘three-win competition’ with Seo Yo-seop. A prize of 100 million KRW bonus and a Genesis car await as lucrative rewards.

Kim Joo-hyung needs at least an 8th place finish (310 points) to overcome the 294.46-point gap. The ‘possible scenarios’ include finishing 3rd (520 points) while Park Sang-hyun finishes 17th or lower (219 points). In the average score category, Park Sang-hyun is chasing from third place (69.83 strokes). The recent champions of the last three tournaments?Ham Jung-woo (Choi Kyung-ju Invitational), Lee Jae-kyung (22, CJ O Shopping, Genesis Championship), and Lee Tae-hoon (Hana Bank Invitational)?are formidable contenders. They are all aiming for the ‘two-win milestone.’

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