Korean golfers win four medals at Hangzhou Asian Games

Golf

Korean golfers win four medals at Hangzhou Asian Games

Published: 01 Oct. 2023, 16:25 Updated: 01 Oct. 2023, 16:27

PAIK JI-HWAN
paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr

Korean golfer Yu Hyun-jo speaks to reporters after finishing the first round of the women's individual contest at the Hanghzou Asian Games held at West Lake International Golf Course in Hangzhou, China on Thursday. [YONHAP]

Korean golfers shone at West Lake International Golf Course in Hangzhou, China, winning one gold, two silver and one bronze on Sunday at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

There were four separate medal events at this year's Asiad: The women’s individual contest, women’s team, men’s individual and men’s team.

In reality, the golfers just played the individual events — a four-day, 72-hole stroke play event like the vast majority of golf tournaments on all major tours.

The difference here was that those individual scores also counted toward a separate team event, with rankings made by tallying the results of the golfers competing for each country.

In the women’s team contest, three golfers competed as one team with the combined score of the top two golfers counting toward the team’s total round score, while the men’s team contest had four golfers with the top three golfers’ combined score being the total score for each round.

Yu Hyun-jo secured two medals, carding a 16-under-par, 272, to win bronze in the women’s individual event, and taking silver in the women's team competition with a combined 28-under-par, 548, with Lim Ji-yoo and Kim Min-sol.

Im Sung-jae also took two medals, with a silver from the men’s individual event with a 26-under-par, 262.

Im, Kim Si-woo, Cho Woo-young and Jang Yu-bin then managed a 76-under-par, 788, together in the team’s event to take gold.

The gold also gave the four male golfers a military exemption that could otherwise interfere with their careers. In Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve in the military.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]