"Age Is Just a Number"... KPGA Oldest and Youngest Records

Choi Sang-ho Oldest Winner, Im Sung-jae Youngest Hole-in-One

The Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) announced on the 3rd the records for the oldest and youngest players in the history of the Korean Tour.

Choi Sang-ho holds the records for the oldest winner and the oldest player to make the cut on the KPGA Korean Tour.
[Photo by KPGA]

The oldest winner in history is Choi Sang-ho. In May 2005, at the KT&G Maekyung Open, he lifted the winner's trophy at the age of 50 years, 4 months, and 25 days. He has a total of 43 wins from the 1978 Yeoju Open to the KT&G Maekyung Open.

The youngest winner is Kim Joo-hyung. He earned his first tour victory at the 2020 KPGA Gunsan CC Open at the age of 18 years and 21 days. After winning the Gunsan CC Open, Kim also claimed the top spot at the SK Telecom Open the following year, achieving the record for the youngest player with two career wins (18 years, 11 months, and 22 days).

The youngest amateur winner is Kim Dae-seop, who won the 41st Korea Open Kolon Cup in September 1998 at the age of 17 years, 2 months, and 20 days.

The oldest and youngest holes-in-one were both recorded in 2016.

"Busan Seagull" Shin Yong-jin made the oldest hole-in-one at the age of 51 years, 7 months, and 17 days. He achieved this on the 17th hole of the 1st round at the 12th Dongbu Insurance Promy Open held at Daeyu Montvert CC in April 2016. Im Sung-jae made the youngest hole-in-one at the age of 18 years, 6 months, and 23 days on the 8th hole of the 4th round at the DGB Financial Group Daegu Gyeongbuk Open held at Palm Hills CC the same year.

The oldest recipient of the Order of Merit is Choi Sang-ho in 1995, who was 40 years, 9 months, and 25 days old at the time. Kim Joo-hyung became the first teenager to win the Genesis Award last year, setting the youngest record for the Order of Merit at 19 years, 4 months, and 17 days.

Lee Won-jun (Australia) won the oldest Castel Bajac Rookie of the Year Award (Myungchul Award) in 2020 at the age of 35 years and 16 days. Lee Jung-hoon became the youngest Rookie of the Year in 2004 at 19 years and 18 days old.