Players warm up for practice the day before the opening of the Herald-KYJ Tour Championship at Lotte Skyhill Jeju Country Club in Seogwipo, Jejudo Island, Monday. (Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald)
A golf tournament expected to decide the money leader of this season on the Korean tour will kick off a four-day run on the scenic island of Jeju, Tuesday.
Current money leader Kang Sung-hoon of Korea seeks his third straight win in the Herald-KYJ Tour Championship on the Hill and Ocean Courses at Lotte Skyhill Jeju Country Club in Seogwipo. The championship also takes place as an event to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Herald Corp.
Kang is among 102 players from four countries who will compete for the title, which will likely affect the Tour’s money rankings, the lowest score record of the season and golfers’ seeds for next season.
If Kang, the strongest favorite, captures the title, he would become the first player in 22 years to win three straight championships on the Korean professional tour.
Korea has not seen a golfer score three victories in a single season for the past six years.
The 26-year-old Jeju native won the CJ Invitational hosted by KJ Choi and the 56th Kolon Korea Open. He knows well the terrain of the course as he won the Lotte Skyhill Open as an amateur in 2006.
Ryu Hyun-woo of Korea will mount a tough challenge for Kang. The 32-year-old lost first place to Kang on the money leader board, as Kang swept the last two tournaments.
Kang is first in money rankings with 475.52 million won, about 34 million won higher than Ryu in second with 441 million. The gap is not so wide that Kang can become complacent.
If Ryu beats Kang, their rankings may change. The championship offers 60 million won in prize money to the winner, and 30 million won to second place.
Other players to note include their compatriots Kim Dae-hyun, Kim Dae-seop and Park Sang-hyun, and Andrew Tschudin of Australia.
On Monday, Herald Corp. CEO Lee Young-man and advisor Sohn Myong-won, KYJ Golf chairwoman Kim Young-joo, Korea Professional Golfers’ Association chairman Hwang Sung-ha and KATANA Golf chairman Kim Hong-deug hit ceremonial shots to signal the opening of the closing event of the season on the KPGA Tour.
By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)
