Korean Tour 'Diaspora Dominance'... Han Seung-su "This Time It's My Turn"

In the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour, the performance of Korean-American players is impressive. Leading the pack is Lee Tae-hoon (Canada), who has accumulated three career wins, followed by Lee Jun-seok and Lee Won-jun (both Australia), each with two wins, and Shin Yong-gu (Canada), who secured his first career victory last year. They are showcasing their 'Korean-American power' by competing for the championship in every tournament.

This time, Korean-American Han Seung-soo from the United States is poised to make a splash. On the 22nd, Han shot a 5-under-par 66 in the first round of the 'National Title' Kolon 65th Korean Open (total prize money 1.4 billion KRW) held at Woongjin Hills Country Club in Cheonan, Chungnam (par 71, 7,326 yards). He recorded six birdies and one bogey. Starting strong from day one, he is aiming for his second domestic win in over three years since his victory at the LG Signature Players Championship in November 2020.

Han Seung-su is teeing off at the 10th hole during the first round of the Korea Open.
[Photo by Kolon Korea Open Organizing Committee]

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Han Seung-soo had a brilliant amateur career. In 2001, he became the youngest player (14 years and 8 months) to qualify for the main draw of the US Amateur Championship. In 2002, he was named Player of the Year by the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA). After topping the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) Qualifying School in 2015, he won the 2017 Casio World Open.

This year, Woongjin Hills Country Club, the fierce battleground of the Korean Open, narrowed the fairway width to 10?25 meters to increase the tournament's difficulty. Deep roughs of 85mm for A-cut and 100mm for B-cut were planted. Han's fairway hit rate was only 14.2% that day. Despite hitting the fairway just twice out of 14 tee shots, he posted an excellent score. Han explained, "Although I missed the fairway, fortunately, the ball landed in areas where the rough wasn't too long, so the next shot wasn't very difficult."

He added with a smile, "The fairways are so narrow that even the most accurate players will find it hard to consistently hit the fairway. I think it's better not to be obsessed with always landing on the fairway." Han said, "On this course, the most important things are patience and short game. You have to protect your score and wait for birdie opportunities." He vowed, "I will endure and play patiently for the remaining three days."

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