[Golf Topic] 'Korea's No. 1' Kim Juhyung "Head-to-head with World No. 5 Johnson in Saudi"

Kim Joo-hyung will face off against world No. 5 Dustin Johnson in the same group on the first day of the PIF Saudi International.

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] ○…‘Domestic No. 1’ Kim Joo-hyung (20) will face off against world No. 5 Dustin Johnson (USA) in Saudi Arabia.

The first round of the PIF Saudi International (total prize money $5 million) opens on the afternoon of the 3rd (Korean time) at the King Abdullah Economic City Royal Greens Golf Club (par 70, 7,048 yards). Established in 2019, it was held as a DP World Tour (European Tour) event but moved to the Asian Tour this year. World stars including Johnson, ‘Hulk’ Bryson DeChambeau, Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele, Phil Mickelson (all USA), and Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland) are all participating.

When it was founded in 2019, it defied expectations that players would avoid the event due to Saudi Arabia being a human rights-violating country, notably after the Saudi intelligence agency’s assassination squad killed anti-government exiled journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey. The tournament succeeded in drawing attention, powered by ‘oil dollar power’ such as invitation fees exceeding $1 million and accommodations at 7-star hotels. The emergence of the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund (PIF) is noteworthy. Recently, with the launch announcement of the Premier Golf League (PGL), it has been in conflict with the PGA Tour.

This tournament was pushed out of the DP World Tour, which is allied with the PGA Tour. PIF even announced plans to expand the Asian Tour by adding 10 more events over the next 10 years. It is important to note that Johnson was the inaugural champion in 2019, runner-up in 2020, and last year secured a ‘2-stroke victory’ again. He is truly the ‘top favorite to win.’ Kim Joo-hyung was last year’s Korean Tour money leader and also topped the Asian Tour money list. This is a prime opportunity for him to be in the spotlight in this star-studded match.

Dustin Johnson is aiming for his third victory at the PIF Saudi International.

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