Prize Money of 500 Million Won... "Who Will Be the Winner?"

Opening of Kolon Korean Open at Woojeong Hills CC on the 22nd
Kim Mingyu aims for 2nd consecutive win, Cho Mingyu seeks revenge, Yang Jiho targets 2nd consecutive victory
Jung Chanmin, Lee Jaekyung, Choi Seungbin, Cho Wooyoung are title contenders

Reaching the top is a ‘jackpot’. The winner’s prize is 500 million won.

This refers to the Kolon 65th Korean Open (total prize money of 1.4 billion won). It will be held over four days starting from the 22nd at the Woojeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, Chungnam (par 71, 7,326 yards). The Korean Open, organized by the Korea Golf Association (KGA), allocated 33.3% of the total prize money to the winner last year, and this year it has increased to 35.7%. The organizing committee explained, "The winner’s prize was significantly raised to reflect the highest honor befitting the tournament’s prestige."

Kim Min-gyu will challenge for a consecutive win at the Kolon 65th Korea Open, with a prize of 500 million won.

The winner’s prize in the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour is around 20% of the total prize money. The Woori Financial Championship, KPGA Championship, and Genesis Championship each have a total prize money of 1.5 billion won, which is 100 million won more than the Korean Open, but the winner’s prize is 300 million won. This year’s top earner on the Korean Tour is Kim Dong-min. He has accumulated 359.19 million won by finishing in the top 5 three times, including winning the KB Financial Live Championship. A player who wins the Korean Open can instantly rise to the top of the prize money rankings. In addition, the winner is granted an entry to The Open and a five-year tour card on the Korean Tour. This is why there is so much interest in the champion.

Woojeong Hills Country Club, renowned as Korea’s first tournament-dedicated course, has increased its difficulty this year. The fairways have been narrowed to 10?25 meters, and the rough has been lengthened to over 100 mm. Most par-4 fairways are no wider than 15 meters. The A rough adjacent to the fairway is at least 85 mm, the B rough is over 100 mm, and beyond the B rough lies the ‘rough hell’ with grass exceeding 200 mm. The organizing committee explained, "We made the course more challenging to match the players’ improved skills."

Kim Min-kyu is aiming for a second consecutive win. He recalls the thrilling memory of winning by one stroke in a ‘three-hole playoff’ from holes 16 to 18 after tying with Cho Min-kyu last year. If he wins, he will become the first player in seven years since Lee Kyung-hoon in 2015 and 2016 to successfully defend the Korean Open title. Kim Min-kyu has fully recovered from the aftereffects of a traffic accident last year. This season, he has finished in the top 10 five times out of eight tournaments. He is on an upward trend, having placed within the top 10 in four consecutive tournaments from the SK Telecom Open on the 21st of last month to the KPGA Championship on the 11th of this month.

Cho Min-kyu is seeking revenge after finishing as runner-up last year. Yang Ji-ho, who won the Hana Bank Invitational in Japan last week, is aiming for back-to-back victories. Jung Chan-min, winner of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open, and Choi Seung-bin, KPGA Championship champion, are challenging for a special match victory. Other strong contenders for the title include ‘Match King’ Lee Jae-kyung, veteran Park Sang-hyun, and Jo Woo-young, a national representative at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

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