Baekjun Kim Looks Forward to First Tournament of Second Half at Dong-A Membership Group Open

Baekjun Kim, "The Man of the Opening Tournament," returns for the second half of the KPGA Tour
Aims for a second win at Dong-A Membership Group Open after Promy Open victory
Top contenders gather at Gangnam 300 CC for the season restart

'The Man of the Opening Tournament,' Baekjun Kim, will compete at the Dong-A Membership Group Open.

The Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Tour is set to begin the second half of the season after a two-month break. The first tournament is the Dong-A Membership Group Open, which offers a total prize fund of 700 million won. The event will take place on August 28 at Gangnam 300 Country Club in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province (par 70, 6,863 yards).

Baekjun Kim challenges for victory at the Dong-A Membership Group Open, the first tournament of the second half of the year. Photo by KPGA

Baekjun Kim is a second-year player who debuted on the KPGA Tour last year. In April, he claimed his first career victory at the 20th DB Insurance Promy Open. This win came in his 19th KPGA Tour appearance. Since then, he has maintained strong momentum, finishing in the top 10 for three consecutive tournaments, including the Woori Financial Championship and the 44th GS Caltex Maekyung Open. Including the final tournament of the first half, the KPGA Gunsan CC Open on June 29, he has competed in ten tournaments this season and placed in the top 10 five times.

This year, he has been a leading player on the tour alongside Taehun Ok. He currently ranks second in Genesis Points (3,023 points), third in average strokes (69.82), and fourth on the money list (411.93 million won). He is determined to make a strong impression from the very first tournament of the second half.

Baekjun Kim is aiming for the Genesis Grand Prize. If he finishes the season as the leader in Genesis Points, he will receive a bonus of 200 million won, a Genesis vehicle, a five-year KPGA Tour exemption, direct entry to the final stage of the PGA Tour Q-School, and a one-year DP World Tour exemption.

He stated, "My goals for this year are three wins and the Genesis Grand Prize," adding, "Since the title is awarded to those who perform consistently throughout the season, I will do my best to maintain steady results." He continued, "I want to qualify for the PGA Tour Q-School Final as the Genesis Grand Prize winner, and I will work hard to secure a PGA Korn Ferry Tour card."

This tournament will also feature Taehun Lee (Canada), the Woori Financial Championship winner; Do-yeob Moon, the GS Caltex Maekyung Open champion; Yongjun Bae, who triumphed at the KPGA Classic; Jaewoong Eom, the SK Telecom Open winner; Sadom Kaewkanjana (Thailand), the champion of the 67th Kolon Korea Open; and Hongtaek Kim, who won the Baeksong Holdings-Asiad CC Busan Open. They will all be competing for their second win of the season.

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