‘Seed Match Ace’ Song Minhyeok: “I Will Send It Up to 320 Yards”

Ranked 1st in Korean Tour QT, Proud Entry Next Year
Strength in Putting, Focus on Increasing Driver Distance
Role Model Choi Kyung-ju, Aiming for Rookie of the Year and 5th in Grand Prize
"Ultimate Dream is to Become a Champion on the PGA Tour"

Born in 2004, golf prospect Song Min-hyeok is busy. After passing the Korean Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Korean Tour Qualifying Tournament (QT) as the top qualifier on the 17th, he has been training hard. He has been marking his 'attendance' at 88CC and the fitting center located in Giheung, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do. In an interview with Asia Economy on the 24th, he said, "After the season ended, I have been building my body through stretching, Pilates, and weight training," adding, "I want to become the best player by improving my flexibility, balance, and strength."

'Qualifying Tournament Top Performer' Song Min-hyeok expressed his ambition, saying, "After winning Rookie of the Year in next year's Korean Tour, I plan to expand my activities to the Asian Tour and PGA Tour."

Song Min-hyeok started playing golf in the second grade of elementary school. He picked up a club after accompanying his father to the practice range. He recalled, "My father was putting, and I really liked the sound of the ball dropping into the hole." He excelled during his amateur days, accumulating an impressive 15 wins. He was a national team reserve in 2020 and has been a national team member from 2021 to this year. This season, representing the national team, he finished as runner-up at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open and tied for third at the SK Telecom Open. Alongside Asian Games national representatives Jang Yu-bin and Jo Woo-young from Hangzhou, he gained a reputation as an 'amateur who beats professionals.'

Song Min-hyeok delayed turning professional to participate in the Hangzhou Asian Games. He explained, "I wanted to play alongside my older brothers who compete on the PGA Tour. I thought I could learn a lot." He had to win the domestic final selection to qualify but unfortunately finished second. Im Sung-jae, Kim Si-woo, Jang Yu-bin, and Jo Woo-young won the gold medal in the Asian Games team event. Song said with a smile, "I really wanted to play, but I sincerely congratulated the brothers who won the gold medal."

Song Min-hyeok is posing with a hand gesture forming a 'V' after passing the Korean Tour QT as the top qualifier.

Having served as a national team member for over two years, Song Min-hyeok earned the tour pro special qualification granted by the KPGA. In July, at the Honors K·Solago CC Han Jang-sang Invitational, the last tournament of the Korean Tour's first half, he made his debut as a tour pro. The result was a 'cut off.' He then participated in three more tournaments and earned recognition by finishing tied for 19th at last month's Genesis Championship. Song's goals for next year are to win Rookie of the Year and enter the top 5 in Genesis Points. He said, "This is my first regular tour. I won't be too greedy," adding, "Since next year is my rookie season, I want to win the Rookie of the Year award, which you can only get once in your life. I want to be number one in Genesis Points, but I will set aside greed and work hard to enter the top 5."

Song Min-hyeok is 174 cm tall and weighs 68 kg. His strength lies in green play. "I am confident in putting. If you carefully read the green, your score improves," he emphasized. He plans to further develop his specialty. "I think I need to pay more attention to putting. The older players often say, 'The putter is money.' I want to become a competitive player through putting," he said. He also shared his putting know-how: "At first, I look at the overall slope from afar, then go to the opposite side to check the green again. After that, I carefully examine the line at the midpoint where the ball curves." However, his weakness is distance. His average driver distance is 290 yards. Song said, "I think the most important things in professional golf are distance and accuracy," and expressed amazement, "Dareul really hits straight and far." He plans to extend his distance up to 320 yards through offseason training. He stressed, "I won't change my swing but plan to increase distance through exercise."

Song Min-hyeok plans to increase his driving distance during the off-season through weight training, Pilates, and core exercises.

Song Min-hyeok's role model is Choi Kyung-ju, the 'legend of Korean men's golf.' Choi is the 'eldest brother' who has won eight PGA Tour titles. Song has a connection with Choi from when he went on a training camp with him in the fifth grade of elementary school. He expressed respect, saying, "Choi Kyung-ju is a player who has achieved unparalleled accomplishments as an Asian player on the PGA Tour." He learned not only golf techniques but also the mindset and etiquette of a player. In May, he had the fortune to play a round alongside Choi at the SK Telecom Open. Song said, "Choi Kyung-ju praised many of my shots," and smiled brightly, "Choi Kyung-ju will always be my role model. That will never change."

Song Min-hyeok has a concrete plan for his future. He plans to sweat a lot with swing coach Lee Kyung-hoon. After refining his basic physical fitness and swing domestically, he will go on a training camp in Bangkok, Thailand, from January 20 to the end of February next year. Song said, "Next year, I plan to focus on the Korean Tour. Then, the following year, I will expand my activities to the Asian Tour." He added, "My ultimate goal is to advance to the U.S. Tour. I want to play on the PGA Tour," and vowed, "I want to prepare for the tours step by step and become a successful golf player. I will also challenge to be world number one."

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