Tank Choi Kyung-ju's Return: "5-Under Par Early Surge"..."Age Is Just a Number~"

Korean Tour SK Telecom Open Day 1 Tied 5th, Lee Kyumin and 3 Others "6-Under Par Leading Competition", 'PGA Member' Kim Sunghyun Tied 36th at 2-Under Par

‘Tank’ Choi Kyung-ju is looking at the ball immediately after the tee shot on the first hole on the first day of the SK Telecom Open. Photo by KPGA

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] ‘Tank’ Choi Kyung-ju (52, SK Telecom) makes an early sprint.

On the 2nd, at the Pinx Golf Club in Seogwipo, Jeju Island (par 71, 7,326 yards), the Korean Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour SK Telecom Open (total prize money 1.3 billion won) kicked off, and he recorded 5 under par on the first day to tie for 5th place. He made a rare ‘Korea visit’ to participate in the title sponsor’s event. He is just one stroke behind the co-leaders (6 under par 65) including Lee Kyu-min (22), Lee Sang-yeop (28), Kim Min-soo (32), and Kang Yoon-seok (36), making the competition for the championship very much alive.

Choi Kyung-ju debuted on the U.S. Professional Golf (PGA) Tour in 2000 and has accumulated a total of 8 wins including the 2011 ‘fifth major’ The Players Championship. Since last year, he has been active on the Champions (Senior) Tour for players over 50. It is interesting that he became the first Korean to win on the Champions Tour by capturing the Pure Insurance Championship in September. He is truly a pioneer in the world league. His momentum accelerated with a runner-up finish at the Hoag Classic in March.

On this day, he combined 6 birdies and 1 bogey. He started well with ‘stepping stone birdies’ on holes 1 and 3, and recovered from a bogey on hole 4 (par 5) with consecutive birdies on holes 7 and 8. Notably, he made a chip-in birdie on hole 7 (par 4) and holed out directly from a greenside bunker shot on hole 8 (par 4). After back-to-back birdies on holes 10 and 11, he held par on the remaining 7 holes. He is poised to collect his fourth trophy at this tournament after 2003, 2005, and 2008, marking a 14-year gap.

“I expected 2 to 3 under par, but unexpected birdies on holes 7 and 8 powered me to 5 under par,” said Choi Kyung-ju, adding, “Even as I get older, my passion surges whenever I hold a golf club. I will do my best throughout the four days.” He also introduced, “My shot feel came alive while preparing for the Senior PGA Championship, a Champions Tour major, on the 30th of last month, just before this tournament. I gained confidence by finishing tied for 4th.”

Kim Sung-hyun is teeing off at the 13th hole on the first day of the SK Telecom Open. Photo by KPGA

‘PGA member’ Kim Sung-hyun (24, Shinhan Financial Group) recorded 5 birdies and 3 bogeys to finish 2 under par, tied for 36th place. This year, he has shown consistency on the PGA Korn Ferry (2nd tier) Tour with two runner-up finishes and one third place, ranking 4th in the points standings and effectively securing a PGA Tour card for the 2023 season. While ‘top money winner’ Kim Bi-o (32) joined this group, ‘KB Financial Live Championship champion’ Yang Ji-ho (33) fell to tied 82nd at 1 over par, making back-to-back wins a tough challenge.

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