Albatrosses in Two Consecutive Tournaments... Nine Hole-in-Ones Recorded

2022 KPGA Korean Tour in Records

Graphic by Choi Gilsu, Photo by KPGA

The 2022 Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour was a festival of records. Unlike the past two years, which were held without spectators due to COVID-19, this year saw over 170,000 galleries across 21 tournaments. Players rewarded fans with their best performances. Remarkable records included albatrosses (holing out three strokes under par) occurring in two consecutive tournaments, and nine holes-in-one. The tour also featured the most playoffs in history. Let's review the major records born from the fierce competition for the total prize money of 20.3 billion KRW.

The First Ever Consecutive Albatrosses in Two Tournaments

According to KPGA on the 29th, albatrosses were recorded consecutively at the 38th Shinhan Donghae Open held in September and the Bizplay Electronic Newspaper Open. At the final round of the Shinhan Donghae Open, on the 3rd hole (par 5), Thirawat Kaewsiribandit (33, Thailand) made the season's first albatross, and immediately after, at the 2nd round 17th hole (par 5) of the Bizplay Electronic Newspaper Open, Moon Kyung-jun (39, NH Nonghyup Bank) also succeeded in making an albatross. This is the first-ever record in the Korean Tour. Moon Kyung-jun achieved his third career albatross. Previously, he set this rare record at the 2008 GS Caltex Maekyung Open held at Namseoul CC and at the DP World Tour Kenya Savannah Classic held at Karen CC in Kenya, Africa. He added significance by donating the prize money earned from the albatross to typhoon damage recovery funds in Pohang City, Gyeongbuk Province.

There were also nine holes-in-one. The season's first hole-in-one was made by Hwang Jae-min (36) at the 4th hole of the final round of the 17th DB Insurance Promy Open. At the 65th KPGA Championship held at A-One Country Club in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, three holes-in-one were recorded. Lee Tae-hee (38, OK Savings Bank) made one at the 4th hole in the 1st round, and Lee Jae-kyung (23, CJ OnStyle) and Ok Tae-hoon (24) each enjoyed the thrill at the 12th hole in the 2nd round. Additionally, across 21 tournaments this year, there were a total of 24,050 birdies and 372 eagles.

12th Year Tour Debutant Kim Young-soo Earns 791.32 Million KRW, Season's Highest Prize Money; Park Sang-hyun Tops All-Time with 4.386 Billion KRW

Kim Young-soo (33, PNS Holdings), in his 12th year on tour, secured his first career win at his 107th tournament during the 19th event of the season, the Genesis Championship. He then won his second career title after a playoff at the season finale, the LG SIGNATURE Players Championship. With these victories, he claimed both the prestigious 'Genesis Award' and 'Genesis Money List' titles on the KPGA Korean Tour. His total earnings this year amounted to 791.32 million KRW, breaking the record for the highest prize money in a single KPGA Korean Tour season, surpassing Park Sang-hyun's 790.10 million KRW set in 2018. Park Sang-hyun (39, Dong-A Pharmaceutical) maintained his position as the all-time leading money winner domestically, adding 290.79 million KRW from 15 tournaments this season, bringing his cumulative earnings to 4.38657 billion KRW.

Oldest and Youngest Winners, Participation Records

This year, 17 different players won across 21 Korean Tour tournaments. The oldest winner was Park Sang-hyun, who won the DB Insurance Promy Open at 38 years, 1 month, and 24 days old. The youngest winner was Jang Hee-min, who claimed his first tour victory at the Woori Financial Group Championship at 20 years, 2 months, and 8 days old. Among the 17 champions, six were in their twenties: Jang Hee-min (20), Shin Sang-hoon (24), Kim Min-kyu (21), Bae Yong-jun (22), Seo Yo-seop (26), and Kazuki Higa (27, Japan), who won the Shinhan Donghae Open held at Komatsu CC in Japan. Eleven winners were in their thirties, including Park Sang-hyun and Kim Young-soo. Four players?Kim Bi-o (32, Hoban Construction), Seo Yo-seop, Park Eun-shin (32, Hana Financial Group), and Kim Young-soo?won multiple times.

Junior national team member Ahn Seong-hyun (13, A) set the record for the youngest participant by entering the DB Insurance Open as a recommended player at 12 years, 11 months, and 16 days old. The previous youngest participant record was held by Kim Si-woo (27, CJ Logistics), who played in the 2010 Shinhan Donghae Open at 15 years, 3 months, and 2 days old. Ahn Seong-hyun also set the record for the youngest player to make the cut at the Bizplay Electronic Newspaper Open at 13 years, 3 months, and 19 days old. The previous record was 14 years and 24 days, set by Kang Sung-hoon (35) at the 2001 Yuseong Open.

Memorable Matches, Most Playoffs in a Single Season

This year, the Korean Tour featured eight playoffs, the most in history, surpassing the six playoffs set in 2018. There were two 'wire-to-wire' victories, where the winner led from the first round through the final round without relinquishing the lead. Bae Yong-jun and Seo Yo-seop achieved this at the Honors K·Solago CC Han Jang-sang Invitational and the LX Championship, respectively. The largest margin of victory was by Kim Bi-o, who won the SK Telecom Open by seven strokes over runner-up Kang Yoon-seok (36, Aivazar). Seo Yo-seop recorded the most under-par score by winning the LX Championship with a 22-under-par 265 over four days. Additionally, Moon Do-yeop (31, DB Insurance) won the DGB Financial Group Open, played on a par 71 course, with a 21-under-par 263, the lowest score to claim the title.

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