[Korean Tour Summary] Kim Tae-hoon "Order of Merit + Prize Money King"... Kim Han-byeol "Back-to-Back Wins Achievement"

Kim Tae-hoon Leads Genesis Victory to Become 'Double Champion', Kim Han-byeol 'Wins Most Matches', Kim Sung-hyun Shocks by Winning Major After Monday Qualifiers

Kim Tae-hoon, riding on his Genesis Championship victory, claimed the 'double crown' by winning both the Korean Tour Player of the Year and the prize money title.

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "Out of 11 tournaments entered, including 1 win, five top 10 finishes."

This is the 2020 season record of Kim Tae-hoon (35) in the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA). Above all, attention should be paid to his victory on the 11th of last month at the Genesis Championship (total prize money 1.5 billion KRW), the largest prize money tournament in Korea. This became the driving force for him to become the 'double crown' winner of both the Player of the Year and the money title. Kim Han-byul (24) achieved a 'back-to-back win' feat at the Hazzy's Golf KPGA Open and the Shinhan Donghae Open, while Kim Sung-hyun (22) caused a stir with a surprise victory at the major KPGA Championship.

▲ Kim Tae-hoon "Best cost performance" = He switched to golf after playing ice hockey in elementary school. He comes from a sports family: his uncle is Kim Jun-hwan, a powerful hitter for the professional baseball team Haitai Tigers, and his father was also a soccer player. His father served as his caddie during the Genesis Championship, collaborating on the victory. Kim recorded his fourth career win following the 2013 August Boseong CC Classic, the 2015 November Tour Championship, and the 2018 August Dong-A Membership Group Busan Open.

It is interesting that Kim Tae-hoon gave up his spot in the PGA Tour's The CJ Cup. This was due to the late-stage 'Player of the Year competition.' In fact, while Kim Han-byul, Lee Jae-kyung (21, CJ O Shopping), and Ham Jung-woo (26) entered 'two weeks of self-quarantine' following their U.S. trips due to COVID-19 quarantine guidelines, Kim Tae-hoon rose to 'No. 1 in Player of the Year' by finishing tied for 32nd at the Bizplay Electronic Times Open and maintained his lead by finishing tied for 9th at the final event, the Players Championship.

He received tremendous rewards including a 50 million KRW bonus, a Genesis car, and a 'direct ticket' to next year's European Tour. Kim Tae-hoon cheered, "I think I had the best year," adding, "The strategy to focus on the Player of the Year was exactly right." Regarding his entry into the European Tour, he said, "Due to the impact of COVID-19, travel is difficult, so I will focus on the domestic stage for now," and introduced his plan to "start physical training and strengthen my short game from this winter."

Kim Hanbyeol swept 'back-to-back victories' at the August Hazzy's Golf KPGA Open and the September Shinhan Donghae Open.

▲ Kim Han-byul, Kim Sung-hyun, and Kim Joo-hyung "Rookie whirlwind" = Kim Han-byul is the leader in wins and second in Player of the Year. After passing the 2018 Qualifying Tournament (QT) in 5th place, she advanced to the main event 9 times out of 11 tournaments last year and ranked 34th in the money rankings. Although she was disappointed by a playoff loss at the KPGA Open in July, she finally secured her first victory at the Hazzy's Golf KPGA Open in August and built a golden milestone with 'two consecutive tournament wins' at the Shinhan Donghae Open in September.

Kim Sung-hyun made big news with a major win after going through Monday qualifying in August. He is a next-generation prospect who has represented the national team. He debuted first on the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) last year and has been active on the Srixon (second-tier) Tour this year, collecting a third win in June. Having played only two tournaments including a tied 45th at the KPGA Open, he rose to the ranks of major champions, gaining even more spotlight. He instantly earned a five-year Korean Tour card.

Kim Joo-hyung (18, CJ Logistics) made news with his victory at the KPGA Gunsan CC Open in July. At 18 years and 21 days old, he broke Lee Sang-hee's (28) record as the youngest winner (19 years, 6 months, and 10 days) at the 2011 NH Nonghyup Open and shortened the shortest period from joining the tour held by Kim Kyung-tae (34) from 4 months and 3 days to 109 days, now 3 months and 17 days. He is focusing on PGA Tour invitation events as a top-ranked world player, dreaming of becoming a global star. Lee Jae-kyung (21, CJ O Shopping) also made his presence felt by leading the average score ranking with 70.18 strokes.