'Mr. 58' Kim Seong-hyun "Runner-up Again at Korn Ferry Tour"... "Bright Sign for Next Year's PGA Tour Entry"

Part 2 Tour Lake Charles Championship: Warbillo's 'Overtime Loss', 4th in Points Ranking, Direct PGA Tour Entry if Finishing in Year-End 'Top 25'

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "The PGA Tour ticket is in sight."

It was a disappointing runner-up finish for ‘Mr. 58’ Kim Seong-hyeon (24, photo). On the 28th (Korean time) at The Country Club at Golden Nugget in Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA (par 71), the final day of the PGA Korn Ferry Tour Lake Charles Championship (total prize money $750,000), he added 3 under par to maintain the top spot on the leaderboard (18 under par 266 strokes) but lost in a playoff. Trevor Werbylo (USA) made the winning birdie on the third hole of the playoff, which resumed at the 1st hole (par 4).

Kim Seong-hyeon is the next-generation hopeful of Korea. In August 2020, he won the KPGA Championship on the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Tour, and in July last year, he won the Japan PGA Championship on the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) Tour, securing two wins in major tournaments in Korea and Japan combined. At the May JGTO Golf Partner Pro-Am Tournament, he drew even more spotlight by shooting ‘12 under par 58’ with two eagles and eight birdies on the final day. He is the second player in JGTO history to achieve this, following Ryo Ishikawa (Japan, August 2016, Junichi Crowns 4 rounds).

In November, he finished tied for 39th at the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament (QT) and came to the U.S. this year. In December, he secured a strong sponsor with Shinhan Financial Group and is working with caddie Patrick Smith, who has experience on the LPGA Tour. Although he missed the win, this is already his third top-10 finish, following 3rd place at the January Bahamas Great Abaco Classic and tied 2nd at last month’s Suncoast Classic. Currently, he ranks 4th in the Korn Ferry Tour points ranking, and if he finishes in the ‘top 25’ by the end of the year, he will advance to the PGA Tour next year.

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