Korea's Lee Kyoung-hoon fights for FedExCup Playoffs spot at Wyndham

Golf

Korea's Lee Kyoung-hoon fights for FedExCup Playoffs spot at Wyndham

Published: 08 Aug. 2024, 15:40

Korea's Lee Kyoung-hoon tees off from the 16th tee during practice before the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina on Wednesday. [GETTY IMAGES]

Korea’s Lee Kyoung-hoon knows exactly what he must do at the Wyndham Championship to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs — secure a solo second or better this week, or it’ll be a two-month enforced break which he doesn’t need.

The two-time PGA Tour winner, who is ranked 99th on the points list and needs to break into the top-70 to qualify for the FedEx St. Jude Championship next week, is amongst a handful of Asian golfers including compatriot Kim Seong-hyeon (110th), Chinese Taipei’s Kevin Yu (87th), C.T. Pan (89th), Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune (107th) and China’s Carl Yuan (126th) who are fighting to qualify for the Playoffs.

“I know I need to get into the top-2 or win the event,” said Lee on Wednesday.

The amiable Korean is counting on a tied ninth finish at the 3M Open two weeks ago to provide the momentum required for a strong finish at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina. The popular venue has been a happy hunting ground for Korean golfers in recent times, with Kim Si-woo winning in 2016 and Tom Kim in 2022.

“This is the final event of the Regular Season. I'm now standing at 99th place but need to grind and push into the top-70. I have prepared a lot after taking a week off. I know this golf course has many Korean winners and I'm looking forward to a great week. I was not able to make top-10 here before but I'm in a good flow from my last event so I'm looking forward to it,” he said.

Two years ago, Lee was flying high as he qualified for the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta for the first time in his career and also represented the International Team at the Presidents Cup. Admittedly, his game took a downturn as he missed the Playoffs last year when the qualifying criteria was changed from the top-125 to the top-70.

He has featured at Sedgefield five times previously, with a T24 in 2021 being his best finish. However, shooting four rounds in the 60s at the 3M, the first time he has done so since March, may just be the confidence boost that he needs. “Before the 3M Open, I was not performing great with many missed cuts and some withdrawals. However, I was able to enjoy a strong performance at the 3M so I'm trying to stick to what works for me,” he said.

“This has been a bit of a tough season. I had some hard times and hard events but I'm trying to finish strong. I still have one event to get into FedExCup Playoffs so I will do my best. If I don’t make it, there will be time for me to practice and get better (for the Fall events from October).”

Compatriots Im Sung-jae, ranked ninth, and Kim Si-woo, who is 36th on the FedExCup points list, are also in the field for the final event of the 2024 PGA Tour Regular Season. The FedExCup Playoffs consists of three tournaments — FedEx St. Jude Championship (top-70), BMW Championship (top-50) and Tour Championship (top-30).

BY CHUAH CHOO CHIANG [kjdsports@joongang.co.kr]