Green hit rate only 24%... What is this year's KPGA Devil's Hole?

Namseoul CC Hole 16, the Most Difficult Course
189 Bogeys and 6 Triple Bogeys or More

The 16th hole at the Maekyung Open Golf Tournament held at Namseoul CC in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do
[Photo by KPGA]

The most difficult hole on the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour tournament courses this year was the 16th hole (par 4, 534 yards) at Namseoul Country Club (CC) in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do.

According to KPGA on the 28th, the average score on the 16th hole at Namseoul CC, where the 41st GS Caltex Maekyung Open was held, was 4.58 strokes, 0.58 strokes higher than par, and the green hit rate over four days was only 23.89%. During the tournament, only 16 birdies were made on this hole, while there were 189 bogeys, 25 double bogeys, and 6 triple bogeys or worse. This hole is normally operated as a par 5 hole outside of tournament periods. Since it was changed to a par 4 hole shortened by 15 yards in 2017, its difficulty has increased.

The next most difficult hole was the 7th hole (par 4, 536 yards) at Pamihills CC, where the DGB Financial Group Open was held, with an average score of 4.52 strokes. From the first round to the final round, 12 birdies, 162 bogeys, 21 double bogeys, and 6 triple bogeys or worse were recorded on the 7th hole. Following that, the 13th hole (par 3, 233 yards) at Blackstone Icheon GC, where the KB Financial Live Championship was held, troubled players with an average of 3.47 strokes.

The easiest hole was the 5th hole (par 5, 547 yards) at Namchuncheon CC, where the Hana Bank Invitational was held. On this hole, with an average score of 4.43 strokes, players made 8 eagles and 240 birdies over four days.

Meanwhile, the best tournament course chosen by players active on the KPGA Korean Tour this year was A-One CC in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, where the 65th KPGA Championship was held. In a vote conducted among players who participated in this season’s KPGA Korean Tour events, it received 49.65% of the votes, ranking first.