[Jeong Ui-cheol's Golf Encyclopedia] "The New Name of the 2nd Tour, Srixon Tour"

'PGA 2-win champion' Bae Sang-moon is a representative player who grew through the KPGA 2nd Tour.

'Srixon Tour.'

The new name for the 2020 season of the Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) 2nd-tier tour, the 'KPGA Challenge Tour.' The KPGA 2nd-tier tour was first established 21 years ago in 1999. Until then, only the Korean Tour was held, but there was a growing consensus that another tour was needed to expand the player base. Ultimately, the creation of the 2nd-tier tour gained momentum with the aim of early discovery and development of Korea's next-generation star players.

At that time, Korea Telecom Freetel (now KT) became the title sponsor, launching the 'PCS 016 Tour.' Eligibility to participate included KPGA tour professionals and about 1,800 pros who were not active on the Korean Tour. In the inaugural tournament, Jo Bu-geon (52) won with a total score of 2-under-par 142 over two rounds. The tour continued under different names such as 'N016 Tour' and 'KTF Tour.' In 2005, broadcaster KBS joined as the main sponsor, running the 'KBS SKY Tour.'

From 2006 to 2012, Bear River Golf Resort sponsored the tour, which was renamed the 'Bear River Tour.' Subsequently, various sponsors such as Casco, Yamaha, and Cheers appeared. Shinhan Financial Group, which hosts the Korean Tour's Shinhan Donghae Open, held the 'Shinhan Financial Group KPGA Challenge Tour Championship,' a 'King of Kings' style event, for four years from 2013 to 2016. Last year, the tour merged with the KPGA 3rd-tier Frontier Tour, expanding its scale.

This year, the tour has found a strong supporter in Dunlop Sports Korea and will continue as the 'Srixon Tour' through 2023. Dunlop Sports Korea also supported the 2nd-tier tour in 2017, showing a special commitment to player development. It is interesting that the 2nd-tier tour, now in its 22nd year since establishment, continues to grow steadily and serves as a gateway for Korean professional golf. Representative of this is Im Sung-jae (22, CJ Logistics), currently ranked number one in the PGA Tour Playoff (PO) rankings.

Many players, including Bae Sang-moon (34), Kim Hyung-sung (40), Kim Dae-hyun (32, Xenoline), Choi Ho-sung (47), Joo Heung-chul (39), and Lee Jae-kyung (21, CJ O Shopping), have developed their skills on the 2nd-tier tour. The newly revamped 'Srixon Tour' consists of a total of 13 tournaments. Although the number was reduced by seven from the original 20 due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the dreams and hopes of players aiming for bigger stages have become even stronger.