KLPGA·KPGA Regular Tour Player List Confirmed
'Super Rookies' Anticipate Fierce Competition
[Asia Economy Reporters Seohee Lee, Taewon Choi] Like all sports, rookies' performances bring new vitality to the golf tour. Bae Yongjun (22), who won the Rookie of the Year award on this year's Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Korean Tour, stirred fresh winds with his victory at the Honors K·Solago CC Hanjangsang Invitational. The performance of Lee Yewon (19), the Rookie of the Year on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, was also remarkable. Although she has yet to win, Lee Yewon has already signaled herself as a next-generation star by placing near the top of the leaderboard in every tournament she entered and finishing as runner-up three times.
Rookies debuting in the 2023 season's first division tour through recent qualifying rounds also possess outstanding skills, promising a whirlwind season.
KLPGA, Focus on National Team Alumni Kim Minbyeol and Hwang Yumin
At the KLPGA 2023 season regular tour seed ranking final held on the 18th at Muan Country Club (Par 72) in Muan, Jeollanam-do, the performances of national team rookie players such as Kim Minbyeol and Hwang Yumin shone brightly. Kim Minbyeol (18), who proudly took first place in the tour seed qualifying, is the frontrunner.
Kim Minbyeol, who was part of the junior national reserve team in 6th grade and also played as a national team member this year, secured the top seed with a final total of 18-under-par 270 strokes.
Kim Minbyeol is a 'super rookie' who has swept more than 20 trophies in various amateur tournaments since she first picked up a golf club in first grade. Just three years after starting golf, in 2014, she won the prestigious Gangwon-do Golf Championship girls' elementary division in Gangwon-do. Later, in 2020, she claimed the girls' high school division titles at the Do Amateur Golf Championship and the city/county team golf competition. In April, she ranked first in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games amateur final selection, securing her spot for the Hangzhou Asian Games scheduled for September next year.
After completing the seed ranking final, Kim Minbyeol said in an interview, “I think I was able to achieve good results by playing without pressure, aiming just to be within the top 20,” adding, “My goals for the regular tour are to consistently perform well and to win the Rookie of the Year award.”
Another player predicting a whirlwind next year is Hwang Yumin (19). She comfortably secured her seed by finishing 6th with 13-under-par 275 strokes.
Hwang Yumin is a promising player who also represented the national team alongside Kim Minbyeol. She made a mark by shooting 86 strokes just one year after starting golf in 5th grade. She officially rose as a rising star by winning the 11th KLPGA Jump Tour event with a flawless performance of nine birdies in her third professional tournament. In May, she demonstrated her potential by finishing runner-up as an amateur at the NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship, a regular tour event.
Hwang Yumin, who has often expressed admiration for Kim Hyoju, signed an official sponsorship contract in June with the Lotte Golf Team, where Kim Hyoju (27) plays, and has been steadily preparing for her regular tour debut next year. Attention is focused on what kind of performance she will deliver after this long preparation period.
KPGA, Spotlight on 'Power Hitter' Jang Seungbo and 'Former Caddie' Lee Seonggwan
The KPGA has a 'power hitter of Joseon' boasting dazzling driving distance waiting in the wings.
Jang Seungbo (26) won a bronze medal in the men's team event at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. He is the son of Jang Jeonggi (64), a founding member of the professional baseball team Sammi Superstars, making him a legitimate heir of an athletic family. Perhaps inheriting his father's genes, his driving distance easily exceeds 300 yards.
He recorded a final total of 12-under-par 276 strokes in this tournament, finishing tied for 3rd and securing his spot on the KPGA Korean Tour next year.
The weakness Jang Seungbo must overcome on the regular tour stage next year is his putting touch. Although he made a name for himself entering the Korean Tour with his tremendous long drives, his relatively weak putting has prevented him from making a significant impact on the professional stage. In his rookie season, he barely maintained his seed by ranking 62nd in prize money, and last year he fell outside the top 120 in prize money rankings, losing his seed.
Nevertheless, he remains a promising player with threatening long-hitting power. In this tournament, he committed only five bogeys over four rounds combined, raising expectations for the next season.
Lee Seonggwan (32), who has worked as a caddie for nearly 10 years but never lost his dream of becoming a first-division tour player, is also noteworthy. He is a former caddie for 'the elder statesman of Korean professional golf' Choi Kyungju (52), having stood by him at every domestic tournament.
Lee Seonggwan started golf at age 15 but had to quit due to family circumstances. After living apart from golf, he began working as a caddie at Gunsan Country Club in Gunsan, Jeonbuk, where the KPGA Korean Tour Q-School Final Stage was held in 2011 after his military discharge.
In a phone interview with Asia Economy, he said, “Interestingly, I worked as a caddie on this course for about four years. Knowing the course very well helped me.”
His caddie experience shone even during the most dangerous moments of this tournament. Lee Seonggwan said, “On the final day, my putting was off from the start, and I was shaky. Then my second shot on the 6th hole landed in a bunker, creating a crisis. At that moment, I remembered the bunker shot tips that Pro Choi Kyungju taught me. I recalled them and got out well, finishing with a par and then gaining good momentum.”
Although he entered the first division tour at a late age, he did not hide his ambition for Rookie of the Year. He said, “Competing with younger players won't be easy, but no matter what anyone says, my goals are Rookie of the Year and maintaining my seed,” adding, “If possible, I definitely want to win a tournament.”
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