Kim Juhyung, Im Sungjae, and Lee Kyunghun to Make First Appearance of the New Year at PGA Tour Championship

Participation in the Sentry Tournament of Champions Opening on the 6th
Last Year's Tour Winners and Top Championship Rankers Compete

Kim Joo-hyung (from left), Im Sung-jae, and Lee Kyung-hoon starting the new year by participating in the PGA Tour Champions event

Three Korean players, Kim Joo-hyung (21), Im Sung-jae (25), and Lee Kyoung-hoon (32), are starting the new year with the PGA Tour's "Tournament of Champions."

They will compete from the 6th (Korean time) for four days at the Kapalua Plantation Course (par 73) in Maui, Hawaii, USA, in the PGA Tour Sentry Tournament of Champions, which has a total prize money of $15 million. Established in 1935, this tournament is known as the "Tournament of Champions," where only players who won a PGA Tour event last year or the 30 players who participated in the Tour Championship, the final playoff event, are invited. This year, 39 players, including 29 winners from last year and 10 top FedEx Cup rankers, will compete without a cut to determine the rankings.

Kim Joo-hyung qualified by winning the Wyndham Championship last year. Lee Kyoung-hoon also earned his spot by winning the AT&T Byron Nelson. Although Im Sung-jae did not win last year, he qualified by ranking 2nd in the FedEx Cup standings.

PGA Tour.com evaluated Kim Joo-hyung as a first-time participant whose aggressive pin-seeking style suits this tournament's course well. This is Lee Kyoung-hoon's second appearance. He finished tied for 33rd last year but aims to enter the top ranks this year. Im Sung-jae is participating in the Tournament of Champions for the third consecutive year.

Meanwhile, world No. 1 male golfer Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) will not participate. Defending champion and world No. 3 Cameron Smith (Australia) also lost his PGA Tour eligibility after joining LIV Golf. Instead, 17 players ranked within the top 20 in the world rankings, including Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Will Zalatoris (all USA), and Jon Rahm (Spain), will compete for the championship.