‘PGA Daese’ Kim Juhyung “Building Momentum in Hawaii for 2 Consecutive Weeks”

Challenging Season 2nd Win at Sony Open Starting on 12th
Im Sung-jae, Lee Kyung-hoon, Choi Kyung-ju, Matsuyama Join

‘PGA sensation’ Kim Joo-hyung (photo) continues his momentum in the ‘King of Kings’ tournament.

Starting from the 12th (local time) for four days, Kim Joo-hyung will challenge for the title at the Sony Open (total prize money $7.9 million) of the 2022/2023 PGA Tour season, held at the Waialae Country Club (par 70, 7,044 yards) in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is determined to show the rising form he displayed with a tie for 5th place at last week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions (TOC) held at the Kapalua Plantation Course on Maui Island, Hawaii.

Kim Joo-hyung is a ‘PGA star attraction.’ Last August, he won the Wyndham Championship as a ‘special member,’ and in October, he claimed the title at the Shriners Children’s Open, becoming the youngest player in PGA Tour history to win twice at 20 years and 3 months old. In September last year, he showcased outstanding skills at the Presidents Cup, a continental golf competition where the U.S. team faces the International team excluding Europe, earning widespread spotlight.

Kim Joo-hyung is the most watched player by the U.S. media entering the new year. At the TOC, which featured only world-class players including champions from last year, he demonstrated stable performance and recorded his second ‘top 5’ finish of the season. After successfully completing his first tournament under a sponsorship contract with Nike, Kim has risen to 14th in the world rankings and is aiming to break into the ‘top 10.’

Among the players participating in this tournament, Kim Joo-hyung holds the highest world ranking and FedEx Cup standing (3rd). Ahead of the event, he was ranked number one overall in the ‘Power Rankings’ selected by the PGA Tour website, marking him as a strong favorite to win.

South Korea is represented by a total of seven players, led by Kim Joo-hyung. Lee Kyung-hoon, tied for 7th at the TOC, and Im Sung-jae, tied for 13th, will compete in back-to-back tournaments. Kim Si-woo, Kim Sung-hyun, and An Byeong-hun will make their first appearances of the new year. Also competing is K.J. Choi, the 2008 Sony Open champion.

Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) is defending his title. Last year, he defeated Russell Henley (USA) in a playoff to claim the championship. With eight PGA Tour wins, he ties with K.J. Choi for the most wins by an Asian player. Henley is aiming for revenge and dreams of his first victory in 10 years since the 2013 Sony Open. Henley is ranked 2nd in the ‘Power Rankings.’ Jordan Spieth, Keegan Bradley, Tom Hoge, J.J. Spaun (all USA), and Corey Conners (Canada) have also joined the field.

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