[2022 Newstart③] Lee Sang-hee "Return of the Real Man"..."January Asian Tour Launch~"

October Army Artillery Veteran with 4 Career Wins "Adjusting Real Combat Shot Sense," Aiming for Special Match Victory Next Year

'4-time champion' Lee Sang-hee returns to the 2022 Korean Tour after completing military service. Photo by KPGA

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "The return of the real man."

Lee Sang-hee (29) is returning to the Korean Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Korean Tour. After being discharged in October, he immediately started weight training while fine-tuning his competitive shot skills through practice rounds. He expressed confidence, saying, "I carefully prepared a training schedule early in the military," and "I believe I can definitely win next year." He added his strong ambition, saying, "Above all, I am eager to win the national title, the Korean Open."

Lee Sang-hee debuted in the KPGA in 2011 and gained the spotlight by winning the season finale NH Nonghyup Open in October. It is noteworthy that he was the youngest winner on the Korean Tour (19 years, 6 months, and 10 days). At that time, he beat Kim Bi-o's (31) 2010 Johnny Walker Open victory (19 years, 11 months, and 18 days) by about five months. Interestingly, Kim Joo-hyung (19) broke this record last July at the KPGA Gunsan CC Open. At 18 years and 21 days old, it was a record broken after nine years.

Lee Sang-hee's victory at the KPGA Championship in August 2012 directly led to the year-end 'Player of the Year' award. From 2013, he played concurrently on the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) tour, winning a total of four titles, including the SK Telecom Open in May 2016 and the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May 2017. Especially at the SK Telecom Open, he made big news with his 'IV drip fighting spirit.' Despite suffering from a high fever due to a cold and visiting the hospital multiple times, he managed to make a winning birdie on the final 18th hole (par 4).

Lee Sang-hee cheering immediately after discharge last October. Photo by KPGA

He enlisted in March 2020 and served as an artillery and observation soldier in the Army's 7th Division. Lee Sang-hee said, "It was my first time experiencing something new outside of golf," and introduced, "Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were few leaves, so I couldn't hold a golf club, which made me even more desperate." He has already applied to participate in the Asian Tour Singapore International (total prize money of $1 million) starting on January 13, 2022, and the JGTO co-hosted SMBC Singapore Open (total prize money of $1.25 million) following on the 20th.

He is a recommended player for the Singapore International, and the SMBC Singapore Open is qualified through the JGTO seed rights. Moreover, the Asian Tour has rapidly expanded as the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) promised an investment of $200 million (238.3 billion KRW). Lee Sang-hee also vowed, "I must run tirelessly on any stage." He said, "After the Asian Tour, I will refine my skills through training in the U.S. in February," and passionately declared, "My goal is to win top-tier matches such as the Shinhan Donghae Open and the Genesis Championship."

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