Golf Competition Format as Complex as the 'Han Ta Deo Chyeotneunde 1wi' Rule

Dongbu Construction Korea Land Trust Championship, Kim Heeji Leads at 6 Under vs Park Hyunkyung Second at 7 Under
Applying Modified Stableford by Summing Points Assigned to Each Score Instead of Simple Stroke Count
Various Formats Including Stroke, Match, Skins, Stableford... Team Competitions Like Foursome and Four-ball Also Held
LIV Golf Shortens Game Time with 'Shotgun' Start Instead of Sequential Play... Simultaneous Tee-Off at Each Hole

Kim Hee-ji (21) took the top spot on the leaderboard after the first round of the Dongbu Construction·Korea Land Trust Championship on the KLPGA Tour held on the 13th, finishing with 6 under par and 16 points, surpassing Park Hyun-kyung (22), who recorded 7 under par.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Taewon] ‘6-under par is 1st place, 7-under par is 2nd place?’

On the first round of the Dongbu Construction·Korea Land Trust Championship (total prize money 1 billion KRW, winner’s prize 180 million KRW) of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, which opened on the 13th, beginner golfers tilted their heads in confusion.

This was because Kim Heeji (21), who scored 6-under par, topped the leaderboard instead of Park Hyunkyung (22), who had the best score of 7-under par.

This result came from applying a ‘modified Stableford system’ instead of stroke play, which ranks players by the number of strokes taken.

The modified Stableford system applied in this tournament sums points assigned to each hole’s score to determine the ranking. An albatross is awarded 8 points, an eagle 5 points, a birdie 2 points, a bogey -1 point, and a double bogey or worse -3 points. Kim Heeji was able to rank first despite having more strokes because she recorded two eagles, which are given high points.

Golf played in nature has various game formats as complex as its rules. In individual competitions, besides the most common stroke play, formats such as ▲match play ▲Stableford ▲skins game are introduced. There are also team competitions where four players split into two teams of two, such as foursomes and four-ball.

In this season’s Korea Professional Golfers’ Association (KPGA) Korean Tour, 2 out of 22 tournaments did not use stroke play. In the KLPGA Tour, 2 out of 34 tournaments are held using formats other than stroke play.

Stroke Play

‘Stroke play’ is the most common format. Each shot counts as one stroke, and the total number of strokes over 18 holes is calculated. Out of 56 tournaments this season in KPGA and KLPGA tours, 52 are conducted using stroke play.

In typical stroke play, all players start from hole 1 and finish at hole 18. In qualifying rounds, due to many participants, players sometimes tee off from hole 1 (out course) and hole 10 (in course) to save time, but players who pass the cut usually tee off sequentially in reverse order of the previous day’s ranking. This naturally focuses attention on the champion group playing last.

However, to overcome the disadvantage of long playing time in stroke play, sometimes the ‘shotgun’ format is used. Players tee off simultaneously from all 18 holes. For example, a player teeing off at hole 3 plays the remaining holes and then returns to holes 1 and 2 to finish the round.

In fact, the LIV Golf Invitational Series, sponsored by the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund, applies the shotgun format to significantly shorten playing time.

Match Play

‘Match play’ is a type of tournament format. Instead of ranking by strokes, players compete head-to-head on each hole, and the losing player is eliminated from the next round.

The outcome is determined by hole wins rather than scores. For example, if player A wins 3 holes and player B wins 2 holes, A is ‘1 UP’ and B is ‘1 DOWN’. If the number of holes won is equal, it is marked as A/S (All-Square). If the difference in holes won becomes large, the match ends before completing 18 holes. For example, ‘3&2’ means winning by 3 holes with 2 holes remaining.

A unique rule in match play is the concede. A concede is when a player accepts the opponent’s putt as successful before the ball is holed, acknowledging the hole out.

Among domestic tournaments, the ‘KPGA Tour Descente Korea Munsingwear Match Play’ has been held in match play format since 2011, and the ‘KLPGA Doosan Match Play Championship’ since 2008.

Stableford

The ‘Stableford’ format determines rankings by summing points assigned to each score rather than counting strokes. It encourages aggressive play by awarding more points for better scores on holes.

It is divided into ‘standard’ Stableford and ‘modified’ Stableford formats.

The standard Stableford scoring is ▲albatross 5 points ▲eagle 4 points ▲birdie 3 points ▲par 2 points ▲bogey 1 point ▲double bogey or worse 0 points ▲hole-in-one on par 3 holes 4 points.

In professional tournaments, a more aggressive modified Stableford format is sometimes applied. The modified Stableford scoring is ▲albatross 8 points ▲eagle 5 points ▲birdie 2 points ▲bogey -1 point ▲double bogey or worse -3 points.

The ‘KPGA Korean Tour Hanjangsang Invitational’ has used the modified Stableford format since 2020, and the ‘KLPGA Tour Dongbu Construction Championship’ since last year.

Skins Game

The ‘Skins game’ is a format where prize money is placed on each hole, and the player who performs best on that hole wins the prize. 3 to 4 players compete, and the player with the lowest score on the hole wins. If no winner is decided, the prize money carries over to the next hole.

Since more prize money is usually placed on later holes, players must stay focused until the end, and frequent mistakes on one hole can be easily recovered.

However, it is mostly applied in event tournaments rather than official tour events. On the PGA Tour, it is held as an event tournament every November or December after the official season ends.

In Korea, the ‘KPGA Skins Game 2020’ with a total prize of 100 million KRW was held last June to overcome COVID-19 and raise funds. The prize money earned by each team was donated in the team players’ names to organizations such as the National Disaster Relief Association and M?decins Sans Fronti?res.

The origin of ‘skins’ is said to come from animal skins. Arizona, USA, once the living area of Native Americans, is a desert region where animal skins were scarce and used as a form of currency. It is widely believed that when Indian tribes fought, the skins taken as spoils were presented to the chief as proof of victory, which is the origin of the term.

Foursomes and Four-ball

Foursomes and four-ball are formats mainly applied in team competitions.

Four-ball is a format where two players form a team and each plays their own ball, with the better score counting as the team score. For example, if one player makes a birdie and the other makes a triple bogey, the team score for that hole is the birdie.

Foursomes is a format where two players alternate shots to make a score. It is also called scotch foursomes. Compared to four-ball where each plays individually, it requires more teamwork and consideration between players.

In men’s golf, representative tournaments applying four-ball and foursomes formats include the Ryder Cup, a team competition between the USA and Europe, and the Presidents Cup, a competition between the USA and an international team excluding Europe.