'19-year-old Young Gun' Kim Juhyung "This Time the Target is a Major"... What About Heo Inhoe?

Clash with Heo In-hoe at Korea Open, Full Lineup of Champions Including Moon Kyung-jun, Lee Dong-min, and Moon Do-yeop Assemble

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "This time, the target is a major."

The '19-year-old young gun' Kim Joo-hyung (CJ Logistics) has set out to achieve his 'second win.' The Kolon 63rd Korean Open (total prize money 1.3 billion KRW), which kicks off on the 24th at Woosung Hills Golf Club in Cheonan, Chungnam (par 71, 7,328 yards), is especially a Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) major. The tournament was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is being held again after two years. Winners from the 2021 season such as Heo In-hoe (34), Moon Kyung-jun (39, NH Nonghyup Bank), Lee Dong-min (36), and Moon Do-yeop (30, DB Insurance) have all gathered.

Kim Joo-hyung is a next-generation prospect who became the youngest champion in the Korean Tour at 18 years and 21 days old by winning the KPGA Gunsan CC Open last July. He made headlines in November 2019 by winning the Asian (APGA) Tour Panasonic Open at just 17 years old, and when the APGA Tour shut down last year, he successfully made a smooth landing by finishing second at the Woosung Construction Aramir CC Busan Gyeongnam Open, entering as a top-ranked player in the world rankings. It is rather unfortunate that he has only competed in three events so far.

After honing his skills on the PGA Tour, he returned this year and continued to demonstrate his power with a second-place finish at the DB Insurance Promy Open in April and the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May. On the 13th, he finally achieved a '3-stroke decisive victory' at the SK Telecom Open. He is the KPGA's first 'teenage two-time champion.' It is noteworthy that Kim Joo-hyung is leading in prize money (474.8 million KRW), target points (2,942.06 points), and average score (68.84 strokes).

The 400 million KRW first prize at this tournament acts as a driving force for establishing a dominant position. Meanwhile, the top five in prize money?Heo In-hoe, Moon Kyung-jun, Lee Dong-min, and Moon Do-yeop?see this as an opportunity to secure the 'two-win milestone' and potentially overturn the standings with one big win. Ham Jeong-woo (27, Hana Financial Group), Kim Han-byeol (25, SK Telecom), and Park Sang-hyun (38, Dong-A Pharmaceutical) are eager for their first victory. The 2019 champion Jazz Janewattananond (Thailand) is absent, and the 2018 winner Choi Min-cheol (33) is aiming to reclaim the title after three years.