KPGA "25 Tournaments, Total Prize Money Over 25 Billion KRW... Record High"

Announcement of This Year's Korean Tour Schedule
Surpassing Last Year's 21 Tournaments and 20.3 Billion KRW

This year, the Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Korean Tour will be held on an unprecedented scale with 25 tournaments and a total prize money of 25 billion KRW.

Number of 2023 KPGA Korean Tour Tournaments and Total Prize Money [Photo by KPGA]

According to the 2023 Korean Tour schedule announced by KPGA on the 23rd, 18 tournaments currently have confirmed prize money totaling 19.65 billion KRW. Additionally, negotiations are underway regarding the total prize money for seven tournaments, including the '42nd GS Caltex Maekyung Open,' 'Kolon 65th Korean Open,' 'LX Championship,' 'DGB Financial Group Open,' 'Golfzon-Doray Open,' and two new tournaments.

Last year, the total prize money for the 41st GS Caltex Maekyung Open was 1.2 billion KRW, the Kolon 64th Korean Open was 1.35 billion KRW, the LX Championship was 600 million KRW, the DGB Financial Group Open was 500 million KRW, and the Golfzon-Doray Open was 700 million KRW. The combined total prize money for these five tournaments was 4.35 billion KRW. KPGA expects that when adding the prize money for these tournaments and the new tournaments, the total prize money for this year's Korean Tour is likely to exceed 25 billion KRW.

This is the first time the total prize money for the Korean Tour in a single year has surpassed 25 billion KRW. The previous record for the most tournaments and total prize money was set in 2022 with 21 tournaments and 20.3 billion KRW.

This year, five new tournaments will be introduced, including the 'Golfzon Open in Jeju,' 'Korea Championship,' and 'iOBED Open.' Some tournaments have also increased their prize money. The 'Woori Financial Group Championship' increased from 1.3 billion KRW to 1.5 billion KRW. The 'Asiad CC Busan Open' also raised its prize money from 800 million KRW last year to 1.2 billion KRW this season.

The number of tournaments co-hosted with overseas tours has increased by two from last year to five. First, the 'Korea Championship,' held jointly with the DP World Tour, will have a total prize money of approximately 2 million USD. The '39th Shinhan Donghae Open' will be co-hosted by three tours: the KPGA Korean Tour, the Japan Tour, and the Asian Tour. The 'Hana Bank Invitational' will be co-hosted by the KPGA Korean Tour and the Japan Tour, while the 42nd GS Caltex Maekyung Open and the Kolon 65th Korean Open will be co-hosted with the Asian Tour.

This year's Korean Tour opener will be the '18th DB Insurance Promy Open,' held from April 13 to 16 at La Vie Belle Country Club (CC) in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. The final event is scheduled to be the 'LG SIGNATURE Players Championship' from November 9 to 12. The venue for the final event will be announced later.

KPGA Chairman Koo Ja-chul said, "It is encouraging that the scale and value of the tour are continuously expanding," and added, "I sincerely thank all golf industry stakeholders, including sponsors and partners, who have helped make this a rich season." He also stated, "As we sign new broadcasting rights contracts, all KPGA executives and staff will devote their full efforts to providing consistently high-quality services," and added, "2023 will be the year KPGA experiences its 'Second Renaissance.'"

Meanwhile, since taking office as KPGA chairman in 2020, Chairman Koo has established a total of 13 new tournaments on the Korean Tour through this season. Compared to 2019, the number of tournaments has increased by 10, and the total prize money for the season has also increased by more than 12 billion KRW.

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