[Reporter’s Notebook] KGA Shakes Fairness, Becomes an International Embarrassment

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"It was a confusing and highly controversial ruling."

This was the criticism raised by the U.S. golf media outlet Golfweek. The Korea Golf Association (KGA) has left a significant stain on the history of Korean golf. By reversing a ruling, they undermined the credibility of professional tournaments. It was an international embarrassment. Players, tournament sponsors, and fans all experienced confusion. The very notion of fairness was shaken. This is the aftermath triggered by the controversy over Hur Inhoi's 'rule reversal' incident.

The incident erupted during the 45th GS Caltex Maekyung Open held at Namseoul Country Club in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on May 3. Hur Inhoi finished the fourth round tied for the lead but was unable to participate in the playoff with Song Minhyuk and Cho Mingyu. Belatedly, his tee shot on the 7th hole (par 4) during the third round the previous day was judged to be out of bounds (OB), changing his score from par to double bogey.

The KGA made a grave mistake. The tournament committee had temporarily recognized his score as par immediately after the third round, then changed it after the conclusion of the fourth round. The incident occurred at an international event co-hosted with the Asian Tour.

From the initial stages of the ruling, the KGA failed to manage operations properly. Although they acknowledged the erroneous call, there was no remedy provided for Hur Inhoi. While admitting the operational mistake, they did not offer any compensation. Even if it was difficult to reverse the outcome due to regulations, action for the affected player was necessary. The KGA's sloppy handling of the situation only deepened mistrust among those on site.

For Hur Inhoi, many opportunities were lost. Along with the winner's prize of 300 million won, he missed out on five years of Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Tour eligibility and two years on the Asian Tour. Starting this year, the top two players in the Genesis Points ranking for the first half of the KPGA Tour are granted eligibility for the Korn Ferry Tour (the second-tier tour) of the U.S. Professional Golfers' Association (PGA). For Hur Inhoi, missing out on points that could have given him a chance to compete overseas was also disappointing.

Korean golf is internationally undervalued. In August last year, Augusta National Golf Club, which hosts the Masters, and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A), which organizes The Open, announced a new amendment granting entry to winners of national title tournaments in six countries. Scotland, Spain, Japan, Hong Kong, South Africa, and Australia were the six countries granted benefits.

On the other hand, Korea—a so-called 'golf powerhouse'—was excluded. The international negotiating power of Korean golf was called into question. Despite being the third largest golf market in the world and consistently producing world-class players, Korea has not been properly recognized on the international stage. Although Hong Kong has a shorter golf history, a much smaller market, and a smaller population compared to Korea, it received the gift of a major tournament ticket.

In the recent Hur Inhoi incident, the KGA again failed to propose any measures to prevent recurrence. Conscious of negative public opinion, they belatedly acknowledged their mistake the day after the tournament ended. The KGA stated, "We apologize to all tournament-related personnel, players, players' families, and fans. We will use this incident to strengthen our tournament management process and strive to prevent reoccurrence," but failed to present any concrete plans. It appeared to be merely an attempt to escape immediate criticism.