World's First 'Three Rounds of Ironman Golf a Day' to Be Held in Jeju Island This July

Official 54-Hole Stroke Play Tournament for Professionals and Amateurs in Japan

The world’s first official tournament featuring three rounds in a single day, the ‘2023 Asia Economy Honam·Jeje CHALLENGE 54 Ironman Golf Tournament,’ will be held on July 7 at the Golfzon County Ora East and West courses in Jeju Island.

Hosted by the Asia Economy Honam Headquarters and organized by Korea’s largest golf community ‘Jeje Band,’ this event is sponsored by Jeju Island and the Jeju Island Golf Association.

This year’s Ironman Golf will be held as an official competition on July 7 with a 54-hole stroke play format for professionals and amateurs, alongside a festival open to the public ranging from 36 to 200 holes.

In accordance with USGA and R&A rules, and supported by the Jeju Island Golf Association, the course setup and referees will be arranged to conduct the event exactly like a regular official tournament, determining the rankings of participants. Winners will receive a large trophy; professionals will be awarded a prize of 5 million KRW, and amateurs will receive a large trophy and prizes worth 3 million KRW.

Considering that one round typically takes 4 to 5 hours, the tournament will start with a simultaneous tee-off (shotgun start) timed with sunrise. To ensure smooth progress, unlike typical official tournaments with 140 participants, the number of participants will be limited to around 80, and if there are many applicants, an 18-hole qualifying round will be held.

Since the tournament consists of three rounds in one day, endurance, physical strength, and concentration over a long period will be key factors, making the outcome unpredictable and an interesting point for spectators.

The official Ironman Golf competition breaks away from conventional formats and is called a golf marathon, applying variables that arise when playing golf for extended periods, in line with current trends seeking new challenges.

Park Changwon (53), operator of the golf channel ‘Mallo Buddy,’ who first planned and oversees this event, explained, “Just as athletics has short-distance and long-distance events, golf has speed golf, where players complete 18 holes quickly and in a short time. Since there is no long-distance golf event worldwide, I conceived the Ironman Golf category to create something fun for golfers and to globalize this format.”

He added, “Speed golf has three international tournaments held in the UK and the US, and I hope to develop the long-duration Ironman Golf format through this tournament as a stepping stone to gain worldwide recognition.”

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