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Heo Seong-hoon is posing after recording a score of 58 in the 16th qualifying round of the Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Srixon (2nd division) Tour. Photo by KPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] A ten-year-old boy who went to study abroad in New Zealand first stepped onto the golf course following his mother, who loves golf. He was completely captivated by the small ball gliding smoothly across the wide green grass. Four years later, the boy returned to Korea and began to pursue a career as a player in earnest. At that time, he was in the first year of middle school, a somewhat late start to dream of becoming a professional.

However, the boy's progress was unstoppable. As soon as he became a high school student, he lifted the championship trophy at a regional golf tournament, and by the end of 2020, at the age of seventeen, he became a semi-professional. Last year, he secured official professional status in the first qualifying round. Now a college student, this player recorded the 'dream score of 58' for the first time on Korean soil just two days ago. This is the story of Heo Seong-hoon (19).

On the 22nd, Heo Seong-hoon took first place by shooting 13-under-par 58 at the 16th qualifying round of the Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Srixon Tour (2nd division), held at Gunsan CC Jeonju·Iksan Course (par 71) in Gunsan City, Jeonbuk. He made 13 birdies without a single bogey.

Heo said, "I was able to easily read the slope of the greens on every hole, which had never happened before. I tried not to get excited while continuously lowering my score, and only after finishing the round and carefully reviewing the scorecard did I realize I had shot 58," he smiled.

He was unstoppable. Starting at the 1st hole (par 4), Heo immediately made his first birdie on the 2nd hole (par 5), then scored three consecutive birdies from the 4th to 6th holes. After a brief pause, he added back-to-back birdies on the 8th and 9th holes, reducing his score by six strokes in the front nine alone.

He played calmly yet fiercely. In the back nine, Heo made consecutive birdies on the 11th and 12th holes, then achieved an incredible five consecutive birdies from the 14th to 18th holes, completing the 'dream score of 58.' His winner's comment was, "When I was on the green, I could see all the lines. My accuracy was 100%."

Scorecard of Heo Seong-hoon's 58 strokes. Photo by KPGA

Heo practiced putting until he fell asleep the night before the game. When he briefly woke up during the night, he was inspired about his putting stroke and practiced for another hour before going back to sleep. He said, "The next day during the game, the good feeling I sensed while half asleep appeared exactly as I had imagined, which surprised me."

Since Heo's 58 was shot in a qualifying round rather than the main Srixon Tour event, it is not recognized as an official Srixon Tour record. Nevertheless, it is a record set in an official tournament and the first 58 ever recorded in a domestic competition, making Heo the first man to break the 60-stroke barrier on Korean soil.

Currently, the lowest score record in both the 1st and 2nd divisions of the KPGA Tour is 60 strokes. This record was set by three players on the Korean Tour: Lee Seung-taek (27) in September 2017, Lee Hyung-jun (30) in November 2017, and Park Joon-seop (30) in November 2018. The 60-stroke record on the Srixon Tour was set by Han Jae-min (22) in 2019.

The 16th 2022 KPGA Srixon Tour tournament, featuring about 130 players including Heo Seong-hoon, will be held over two days starting from the 5th of next month at Gunsan CC.

Heo said, "I will temporarily forget the memory of shooting 58 and calmly lead the game with a fresh mindset in the main event. I am determined to win prize money and buy a gift to express my gratitude to my parents and my mentor, Pro Jang Hyo-min."

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