Jinho Choi's Arrogant Statement "I Will Deliver Results This Year"

Starting the European Tour at Oman Open "Adaptation Complete," Kieffer a Favorite to Win, Wang Jeonghun and Moon Kyungjun Join

Choi Jin-ho starts the 2020 season at the Oman Open.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] "This year will be different."

Choi Jin-ho (36, Hyundai Steel) heads to Oman. The European Tour Oman Open (total prize money $1.75 million), which kicks off on the 27th (Korean time) at Al Mouj Golf Club in Muscat, Oman (par 72, 7,365 yards), is a battleground. It started as a Challenge Tour (second-tier) event in 2013 and was promoted to the main tour in 2018, marking its third year this year. The inaugural tournament was won by Joost Luiten (Netherlands), and last year Kurt Kitayama (USA) took the title, drawing the spotlight.

Choi Jin-ho is a veteran who has accumulated seven wins on the Korean Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Korean Tour. He won the Korean Tour Order of Merit consecutively in 2016 and 2017 and has been competing on the European stage since 2018. However, he has yet to achieve satisfactory results on the European Tour. He struggles with the varying grass conditions each week. His personal best is a tie for 2nd place at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters last March.

This is his first start of the 2020 season. Entering his third year, he is full of confidence. In this tournament, he missed the cut tied for 104th in his first year and fought hard to finish tied for 40th last year. He expressed confidence, saying, "I have adapted to the European stage." His goal this year is first to secure a full tour card. Next is to finish within the top 50 to qualify for the season finale, the DP World Tour Championship. He focused on physical training in Korea last winter, aiming to increase his driving distance.

Before the Oman Open, he spent about two weeks in Thailand fine-tuning his shots. "I have learned a lot traveling to many countries over the past two years," he said, emphasizing, "I think I can achieve better results this year." The favorite to win is Martin Kaymer (Germany), the world number one. Kaymer is a strong player with 11 career wins, including the 2010 PGA Championship and the 2014 US Open. He is on the rise this year with a tie for 8th at the Abu Dhabi HSBC, tie for 16th at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, and tie for 13th at the Saudi International.

Kaymer said emphatically, "Although I haven't won in six years since the US Open victory, winning again is just a matter of time." Luiten aims to reclaim the top spot after two years. He said, "It's a course I like" and "a place with good memories." Defending champion Kitayama is aiming to defend his title, recalling last year's thrilling come-from-behind victory. Dark horses include Brandon Stone (South Africa) and Maximilian Kieffer (Germany). Korea is represented by Wang Jeong-hoon (25) and Moon Kyung-jun (38).