K. J. Choi returns to KPGA Championship after 24-year hiatus

Golf

Published: 08 Jun. 2022, 16:39

K. J. Choi returns to KPGA Championship after 24-year hiatus

K. J. Choi watches his ball after playing his iron at the first hole during the first round of the SK Telecom Open 2022 on June 2 at Pinx Golf Club in Seogwipo, Jeju Island. [YONHAP]

The KPGA Championship with A-ONE Country Club kicks off at A-ONE Country club in Yangsan, south Gyeongsang on Thursday as the event marks its 65th anniversary this year.

The competition for the KPGA Championship title is fiercer than ever with the king of Korean golf K. J. Choi joining the field for the first time in 24 years, Seo Yo-seop trying to defend his title and soon-to-be PGA rookie Kim Seong-hyeon teeing off before he heads off to the United States next season.

The KPGA Championship has been held every year since its debut as Korea's first professional golf tournament in June of 1958. With an increased purse of 1.5 billion won ($1.2 million) and the winner taking home 300 million won this year, the KPGA Championship is the most prestigious competition on the KPGA Tour.

The tournament champion earns the right to compete at the PGA Tour’s CJ Cup as well as being guaranteed seeding for five years on the PGA Tour and can receive permanent qualification for the KPGA Championship.

A total of 156 players will compete for the KPGA Championship title from Thursday to Sunday, with the event held as a four day, 72-hole stroke play event.

All eyes will be on 52-year-old Choi, who will be competing at the KPGA Championship for the first time in 24 years. The last time he played the event was in 1998, one year after he won in at New Seoul Country Club, earning him a permanent ticket.

This is also Choi's second KPGA event this year, marking the first time in three years that Choi has played two consecutive events in Korea. Choi played the SK Telecom Open 2022 last week, finishing tied for seventh place with 10-under-par, 274.

“I think I will be able to play better if I can find my physical form and driving distance,” said Choi in a pre-tournament interview.

“I asked other players about the course and they said that the roughs were longer and that the fairway was narrower. I will try to play my iron well and stay on the fairway.”

Choi has won a total of 16 titles on the KPGA Tour and eight titles on the PGA Tour. Until early this year, Choi was the most successful Asian golfer ever to compete on the PGA Tour. Choi became the most successful golfer in Asia in 2011, when he won his eighth title at the The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in a playoff against David Toms of the United States. That achievement stood for more than a decade. He now shares that accolade with Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, who won the Sony Open in January to tie Choi's record.

Defending champion Seo won last year’s event, carding an 18-under-par, 262, four strokes over Sunil Jung of Canada who finished second. If he does defend his title this year, he will become only the second golfer to do so after Choi Yun-soo won the 1987 and 1988 title.

“My aim this year is to defend my title,” said Seo. “Now that I am actually out on the course, I increasingly want to lift the trophy like last year. I am looking forward to the event and I promise that I will do my best to put on a good performance for the fans.”

Kim Seong-hyeon talks to reporters after the first round of the SK TELECOM Open 2022 on June 2 at Pinx Golf Club in Seogwipo, Jeju Isalnd. [YONHAP]

Kim Seong-hyeon, who earned his 2022-23 PGA Tour ticket this May, competes at the KPGA Championship for the first time in two years.

After turning professional at 19 years old in 2017, Kim captured his first professional victory at the 2019 Heiwa PGM Challenge on the Abema TV Tour. The following year, Kim won on the second-tier KPGA Tour, the Srixon Tour, leading the money list that season.

As Kim was part of the Srixon Tour, not the top-tier Korean Tour, in 2020, he had to play the Monday qualifier, an 18-hole stroke play qualifying round ahead of the main tournament to qualify for the 2020 KPGA Championship. He finished tied for eighth, barely making the cut to compete in the KPGA Championship.

However, Kim eventually burst onto the top of the leaderboard, winning his first KPGA trophy one stroke over Lee Jae-kyeong and becoming the first Monday qualifier to win a KPGA event.

Kim then went on the next year to win the Japan PGA Championship 2021, one of Japan Golf Tour's five major championships, one stroke over Yuki Inamori of Japan.

"The KPGA Championship is where I won my first KPGA title,” said Kim. “I have great affection for this event because it was the first competition that I made my name known to others.”

This year, there are eight golfers that have qualified for the KPGA Championship through the Monday qualifier. Jung Sang-keup topped the qualifier leaderboard with Kim Su-gyum, Park Jun-hyeok, Park Jun-ha, Seo Myeong-jae, Kim Byeong-jin, Park Sang-tae and An Back-jun making the cut.

The KPGA Championship tees off Thursday at A-ONE Country club in Yangsan, south Gyeongsang.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]