Korea-Japan major champs entered the US stage this year with a joint 39th place in QT on the second part of the tour, and Dallas Jeon Hoon perfectly digested “There is a chance”
Kim Seong-hyeon is practicing shot sense tuning in the U.S. prior to advancing to the PGA Korn Ferry (Part 2) tour.
湲 蹂肄
[아시아경제 김현준 골프전문기자] “The ultimate goal is to advance to the PGA Tour.”
‘Mr. 58’ Kim Seong-hyeon (24, Shinhan Financial Group) is a strong leader. In November last year, the US Professional Golf Association (PGA) Korn Ferry (Part 2) Tour Qualifying Tournament (QT) held at Savannah Landing Golf Course, Georgia, USA. This year’s Korn Ferry Tour tickets have been obtained for 8 tournaments, and if you enter the ‘Top 25’ at the end of the year, you can secure next year’s PGA Tour card. “I’m getting used to the different grass for each course,” he said.
Kim Seong-hyun is the champion of the Korea Professional Golf (KPGA) Major KPGA Championship (total prize money of 1 billion won) in August 2020. After the Monday qualifying round, more spotlights poured in. As a member of the national team from 2016 to 2017, he first debuted on the Japan Professional Golf Tour (JGTO) in 2019, and then worked on the Srixon (Part 2) tour in the aftermath of Corona 19. In September, Kyung-Joo Choi tied for 4th place in the Hyundai Marine & Marine Invitational, and at once placed 4th in the prize money ranking on the Korean Tour.
It is interesting that he went to Japan again last year and made a record of ’58 strokes’ on the final day of the golf partner pro-am tournament (total prize money of 50 million yen) in May. He shot a 12-under 58 with two eagles and eight birdies. The second in JGTO history after Ryo Ishikawa (Japan, 4th round of Chunichi Crowns in August 2016), Jim Furik (USA, 4th round of Travelers’ Championship in August 2016) on the PGA Tour is the only ’58 man’.
Kim Seong-hyun will enter the PGA Korn Ferry (Part 2) tour this year and challenge to secure a seed for next year’s PGA Tour.
湲 蹂肄
It is worth paying attention to Kim Sung-hyun’s victory at the Japan PGA Championship in July. Both Korea and Japan have collected their two wins in the majors, so they are particularly strong in limited express matches. In fact, on the second day of the CJ Cup on the PGA Tour, where he participated as an invited player in October, he hit a 9-under par and tied for second place, causing a stir. At that time, world stars such as Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), Dustin Johnson, and Colin Morikawa (above the United States) appeared, and the atmosphere was even hotter. It was rather disappointing as they faltered in the 3rd and 4th rounds and tied for 32nd place.
Kim Seong-hyun signed a title sponsorship contract with Shinhan Financial Group in December to provide a strong support group, and the caddy hired Patrick Smith, who played an active part in the LPGA Tour. After warming up in Dallas, Texas, USA at the beginning of the year, he moved to the Bahamas and started the 2022 season of the Corn Ferry Tour, which started on the 17th. After a break of 3 weeks and 5 weeks in a row, such as ‘Bahamas 2 battles’, the forced march is waiting again for 3 weeks in a row.
For Kim Seong-hyun, the score report for 8 stages is important. This is because the subsequent ranking is determined along with the re-ranking. “In Dallas, I have already practiced not only weight training, but also short games and green play suitable for various types of grass,” he added, adding confidence that “If you add your own strengths such as a strong mentality and clutch putting ability, you can win.” “I will definitely get the 2023 PGA Tour seed,” he said.
Hyeonjun Kim, golf reporter golfkim@asiae.co.kr
.
