'2020 Prize King' Kim Tae-hoon "Did you see the 9-under par course record?"... Lee Tae-hee leads

Hana Bank Invitational Day 2: 9-Under Par Explosion "Suddenly Tied for 4th", Defending Champ Lee Tae-hoon Faces 'Cut Off' Humiliation

Kim Tae-hoon is examining the putting line on the 10th hole on the second day of the Hana Bank Invitational. Photo by KPGA

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] ‘2020 Money King’ Kim Tae-hoon (37) has finally entered the race for victory.

On the 17th, at Namchuncheon Golf Club in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province (Par 72, 7,249 yards), during the second day of the KPGA Korean Tour Hana Bank Invitational (total prize money 1 billion KRW), he set a course record of 9-under par and quickly rose to a tie for 4th place (9-under par 135 strokes). Lee Tae-hee (38) took the lead (12-under par 132 strokes), with Lee Kyu-min (22) and Lee Joon-seok (Australia) tied for 2nd place, two strokes behind (10-under par 134 strokes), and ‘Match King’ Park Eun-shin (32) joining the tie for 4th place.

Kim Tae-hoon is known as an athlete from a sports family. His great uncle was Kim Jun-hwan, a powerful hitter for the professional baseball team Haitai Tigers, and his father was also a soccer player. His father even served as his caddie during the Genesis Championship in October 2020, a special match he won. Kim has accumulated four career wins, including the 2013 Bosung CC Classic, the 2015 Tour Championship in November, and the 2018 Dong-A Membership Group Busan Open in August, and he was crowned the ‘double crown’ winner of both the money title and the MVP award at the end of the year. He received an enormous bounty including a 50 million KRW bonus, a Genesis car, and a ‘direct ticket’ to the European Tour the following year.

However, last year he only made the ‘top 10’ four times in 17 tournaments, and this year he has missed the cut five times in seven tournaments, showing signs of a slump. It is important to note that Kim Tae-hoon is the biggest power hitter domestically. This season, he ranks 3rd in average driving distance (311.05 yards). It seems he has struggled due to a low fairway hit rate. Fortunately, on this day, he swept up nine birdies, including three consecutive birdies from holes 16 to 18. He cheered, "There were no tee shot mistakes."

Lee Tae-hee is making an iron shot on the 12th hole on the second day of the Hana Bank Invitational. Photo by KPGA

Lee Tae-hee has been frustrated without a win since his back-to-back victories at the Maekyung Open in 2019 and 2020. He added, "The game went well with four consecutive birdies in the early holes," expressing his anticipation for the weekend. It was surprising that the previous day’s leader Ham Jung-woo (28, Hana Financial Group) fell to a tie for 10th place (7-under par 137 strokes) after struggling with 1-over par. Ryu Hyun-woo (41) attracted off-course attention by bringing his elementary school son as his caddie, finishing tied for 20th place (5-under par 139 strokes). Defending champion Lee Tae-hoon (Canada) was cut.