'Fishing Swing' Choi Hoseong Surprises in Lead "Thanks to Wife Caddy"... 'Prize Money Leader' Kim Bio in 2nd Place

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[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] ‘Fishing Rod Swing’ Choi Ho-seong (49, photo) has taken a surprising lead.

On the first day of the KPGA Korean Tour Major KPGA Championship (total prize money 1.5 billion KRW), which opened on the 9th at A-One Golf Course in Yangsan, Gyeongnam (par 71, 7,048 yards), he shot 7 under par. ‘Top money winner’ Kim Bi-o (32, Hoban Construction) and Choi Jin-ho (38) are tied for second place, two strokes behind (5 under par, 66 strokes), while PGA Tour member Kim Sung-hyun (24, Shinhan Financial Group) and Lee Hyung-jun (30) are chasing in a tie for fifth place (4 under par, 67 strokes).

Choi Ho-seong became a popular figure with his unique action on every shot at the Korean Open, known as ‘Korea’s National Title,’ in June 2018. His finish motion, which looked as if he might fall over, caught attention, and Golfweek in the U.S. introduced his swing video, career, and fan reactions, shining even more spotlight on him. He explained, "Because I put maximum power into the impact moment to increase distance, the motion became comical."

It is interesting that Choi Ho-seong was invited three times to the PGA Tour: the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February 2019, the John Deere Classic in July, and the Barracuda Championship. At the Barracuda Championship, his swing was compared daily in the news to that of ‘Twist Swing’ Matthew Wolff (USA). Wolff uses a unique swing where he twists his left leg just before the swing. He was the 2019 3M Open champion and is currently ranked 75th in the world.

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Choi Ho-seong’s skills are also outstanding. Despite suffering an accident that severed his right thumb while attending Pohang Fisheries High School, he overcame the hardship and turned professional only at the age of 31. He has two domestic wins including the 2008 Hana Tour Championship and the 2011 Lake Hills Open, and has reached three wins on the Japan Golf Tour (JGTO) with victories at the 2013 Indonesian PGA Championship, the 2018 Casio World Open, and the 2019 Heiwa PGM Championship.

On this day, he recorded eight birdies and one bogey. Above all, his green hit rate of 83.33% and ‘computer iron shots’ stood out. This is a great opportunity to break Lee Kang-seon’s (73) record as the oldest winner in this tournament’s history, set in 1993 at 43 years, 9 months, and 2 days. His average putts per hole were 1.60. Choi Ho-seong, who said, "I feel like I played proper golf for the first time in a while," also cheered, "Thanks to the good weather, my play went well," and "My wife served as my caddie, which gave me strong support."

Kim Bi-o is the player to watch. He has swept two wins in just three tournaments this season, including the Maekyung Open and SK Telecom Open, and is currently topping the prize money and points rankings with 2,400 points. This time, he aims for a third win and a historic milestone of surpassing 800 million KRW in KPGA history. Kim Sung-hyun is aiming to reclaim the top spot for the first time in two years since 2020. Defending champion Seo Yo-seop (26, DB Insurance) is tied for 39th place (1 under par, 70 strokes), and ‘Tank’ Choi Kyung-ju (52, SK Telecom) finished tied for 123rd place (3 over par, 74 strokes).

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