'Bear' Lee Seungtaek Aims for First Back-to-Back Title Defense: "This Tournament Made My Dream Come True"

First Career Title Defense at the Lexus Masters
Last Year's Victory Propelled Him to 3rd in Genesis Points
Earned Eligibility for PGA Tour Qualifying School
13th in Korn Ferry Tour Points, Secures PGA Tour Card for Next Year

'Bear' Lee Seungtaek is set to defend his first career title.

From October 30 for four days, he will compete in the Lexus Masters on the Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Tour, held at Ferrum Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province. Lee Seungtaek said, "Since debuting on the KPGA Tour in 2015, this is my first time playing in a title defense. It is an honor and feels very special. I will do my best in every round to achieve back-to-back victories." He made his KPGA Tour debut in 2015 and claimed his first win after 112 tournament appearances.

Lee Seungtaek cannot forget this tournament. His victory at the Lexus Masters became a stepping stone toward joining the PGA Tour. Until last year's Lexus Masters, he was ranked ninth in the Genesis Points standings. By winning the tournament, he earned 1,000 Genesis Points, which elevated him to third place in the Genesis Points rankings.

Afterward, by maintaining a top-five position in the Genesis Points standings through the Golfzon-Toray Open, he advanced to both the second stage and the final stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying (Q) School, securing a spot on this year's Korn Ferry (second-tier) Tour. In this season's Korn Ferry Tour, he finished in the top 10 six times, including one runner-up finish, and ranked 13th in the Korn Ferry Tour points standings. He earned a PGA Tour card for next year, which is awarded to the top 20 players in the Korn Ferry Tour points rankings.

Recalling last year, Lee Seungtaek said, "Memories of missed opportunities and difficult moments flashed before my eyes. To maintain focus until the very end, I made efforts to relieve pressure, such as not looking at the leaderboard. Whenever I was in contention for a win, I felt nervous, and there were times I even experienced blackouts. It was so severe that I could barely putt properly."

He continued, "After overcoming all of that and winning the Lexus Masters, my golf matured significantly. These experiences helped me during this season on the Korn Ferry Tour and became a solid foundation for my advancement to the PGA Tour." Lee Seungtaek added with a bright smile, "Last year's Lexus Masters was the tournament that made my dream come true. It is truly a precious event for me."

This year's Lexus Masters offers a total prize fund of 1 billion won, with a winner's prize of 200 million won. After being established last year, this is the second edition of the tournament. The winner will receive a two-year KPGA Tour exemption (2026-2027) and 1,000 Genesis Points.

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