Seo Yoseop "Expect a record-breaking Chuseok holiday"... "I ate Tteokbokki"

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Defending champion Seo Yoseop (center) is eating tteokbokki at the Shinhan Donghae Open 'Lunch Party'. Photo by Shinhan Financial Group

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Seo Yoseop (26) held a tteokbokki "lunch party" on the 6th at Koma Country Club (par 71) in Nara Prefecture, Japan.

Two days before the opening of the 38th Shinhan Donghae Open (total prize money 1.4 billion KRW) on the Korean Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour, he hosted "guests" as the defending champion. Sponsored by Shinhan Financial Group, players Kim Kyung-tae (36), who plays on the Korean Tour, Kim Si-woo (27), who plays on the PGA Tour, Higashi Kazuki (Japan), the No. 1 money leader on the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), and Nitithorn Thippong (Thailand), who won twice this year on the Asian Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour, joined the "tteokbokki lunch."

"I chose tteokbokki as this year's menu when I won this tournament last year," said Seo Yoseop. "I hope all the participating players fall for the charm of tteokbokki," he added, pledging, "I will eat my favorite food, tteokbokki, and challenge a three-week consecutive victory."

Seo Yoseop aims for an unprecedented record in Korean Tour history at the Shinhan Donghae Open held in Japan for four days starting on the 8th. If he wins, it will be his second consecutive victory at the tournament and a three-week consecutive win. Only three players have achieved back-to-back wins at the Shinhan Donghae Open so far: Han Jang-sang (81), champion of the 1st and 2nd tournaments; Choi Kyung-ju (52), winner in 2007 and 2008; and Bae Sang-moon (36), champion in 2013 and 2014.

Siwoo Kim (left) and Yoseop Seo are smiling brightly during a practice round at the Shinhan Donghae Open. Photo by Shinhan Financial Group

The greater record is winning three consecutive weeks. This is a new milestone no one has reached on the Korean Tour. There have been two instances of winning three consecutive tournaments: Choi Sang-ho (67) in 1991 and Choi Kwang-soo (62) in 2000, but not three consecutive weeks. Seo Yoseop won the Bodyfriend Phantom Robo Gunsan CC Open on the 28th of last month and then the LX Championship on the 4th. If he wins this time, he will achieve three consecutive weeks at the top.

Of course, there are many variables. Above all, the tournament is held on an unfamiliar overseas course. Shinhan Financial Group, celebrating its 40th anniversary, chose the Koma Country Club, founded by the late Lee Hee-geon, honorary chairman of Shinhan Bank and the group's founder, as the battleground.

The participation of multinational players must also be considered. The Shinhan Donghae Open features 40 players from the Korean Tour, 40 from the Japan Tour, and 40 from the Asian Tour. Players with extensive experience on the Japanese stage, such as Park Sang-hyun (39), Choi Ho-sung (49), Hwang Jung-gon, and Lee Sang-hee (both 30), are contenders for the championship. Kim Si-woo, a three-time PGA Tour winner and ranked 75th in the world, is also a dark horse. This is his first Shinhan Donghae Open in 12 years.

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