'Korean Tour Grand Prize' Mungyeongjun: "What About PGA Tour Competitiveness?"

KPGA Genesis Championship Runner-up to Compete in Genesis Invitational Starting on the 13th: "First Goal is to Make the Cut"

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "The first goal is to make the cut."

It is the declaration of entry into the U.S. PGA Tour by Moon Kyung-jun (38, photo), the 'Korean Tour Player of the Year.' On the night of the 13th (Korean time), he will participate in the PGA Tour Genesis Invitational (total prize money $9.3 million) held at Riviera Golf Club in Pacific Palisades, California (par 71, 7,322 yards). This tournament was upgraded to an Invitational this year, increasing the total prize money by $1.9 million and expanding the scale, quickly becoming a premier event by granting the winner a 3-year tour card.

Moon Kyung-jun earned the right to participate as the runner-up of last year's KPGA Genesis Championship. Although Im Sung-jae (22, CJ Logistics) won, he had already secured his ticket, so the opportunity was given to the next in line. Moon crossed over to the U.S. on the 5th and has been focusing on local adaptation training. He commented, "This is my second time on the PGA Tour after The CJ Cup held domestically last October. This time, especially since it is held on the U.S. mainland, it feels like a dream."

His primary focus is on advancing to the main event. The competition for the championship is fierce, with the 'Returned Golf Emperor' Tiger Woods (USA), world No. 1 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), No. 2 Brooks Koepka (USA), No. 3 Jon Rahm (Spain), No. 4 Justin Thomas, and No. 5 Dustin Johnson (both USA) all participating. Moon Kyung-jun also said, "If I make it to the third round, I will do my best to rank as high as possible."

It is noteworthy that Moon Kyung-jun won the Player of the Year award and earned a direct card to the 2020 European Tour (Category 16). He is a veteran who has been active since 2007. It is surprising that his only win was the 2015 Maekyung Open. Last year, although he did not win, he showed consistency by making the top 10 seven times in 15 tournaments without a single cut-off. Recently, he has been tuning his competitive shot skills through the Asian (APGA) Tour.

Immediately after this tournament, he will move to the European Tour and participate consecutively in four tournaments: Oman Open starting on the 27th, Qatar Masters on the 5th of next month, Kenya Open on the 12th, and India Open on the 19th. Moon Kyung-jun, who said, "This year I will simultaneously compete in the Korean Tour, European Tour, and APGA Tour," emphasized, "Since I will be playing in various tours around the world, finishing the season without injury is the most important thing." He added with determination, "I will not only defend my tour card but also aim for a victory."