Korea Open 1st Qualifier Opens at Chuncheon Laibell Dunes Course

Four Rounds of Qualifying by June 2, Selecting a Total of 80 Players
Final Qualifying Round on June 12-13 at Uijeong Hills CC

The qualifying rounds for the Kolon 65th Korea Open, the nation's most prestigious and authoritative national title tournament, have begun.

The first qualifying round takes place until the 2nd at the La Vie Belle Dunes Course (par 72) in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. The Korea Open qualifiers are divided into the first and final qualifying rounds. The first qualifying round is played in an 18-hole stroke play format. Each day, 144 players compete, with about 20 top players each day, totaling around 80 players advancing to the final qualifying round.

This is a panoramic view of the Chuncheon La Vie Belle Dunes Course, where the first qualifying round of the Korea Open is taking place.

Until last year, both the first and final qualifying rounds of the Korea Open were held at Woojeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, Chungnam, but starting this year, the first qualifying round has been moved to the La Vie Belle Dunes Course. The venue change was made to reduce course fatigue at Woojeong Hills Country Club ahead of the tournament and to more objectively evaluate the players' performance. It was also considered that the top two players from the Korea Open will participate in The Open, which is held on a links course in England similar to the Dunes Course.

The final qualifying round will be held on June 12 and 13 at Woojeong Hills Country Club, played over 36 holes of stroke play. About 40 players ranked 80th to 120th in the Korean Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Korean Tour Genesis Points, who did not go through the first qualifying round, will join the final qualifiers to compete for approximately 15 spots in the Korea Open. The Korea Open will be held over four days from the 22nd to the 25th at Woojeong Hills Country Club. The top two players will participate in the 151st Open Championship, which opens at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in England.

The La Vie Belle Dunes Course opened in September 2016. It is the first dunes course built in a mountainous area in Korea. Landscaping and artificial beauty were removed, and the course was designed to preserve its natural state. It is used as a training venue for national team players preparing for tournaments in the United States and Europe.