Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Choi Kyung-joo Invitational Victory Challenge
Lee Hyung-jun Defends Title, Ko Gun-taek Aims for 4th Season Win
Top Prize Winner Han Seung-soo, Host Choi Kyung-joo to Compete
It is the joint debut of the ‘Hangzhou Heroes’.
Zhou Yong (left) and Jang Yu-bin, gold medalists at the Hangzhou Asian Games, will make their professional debuts at the Korean Tour Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Choi Kyung-ju Invitational.
Jo Woo-young and Jang Yoo-bin, who won the gold medal in the team golf event at the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games, will make their professional debut on the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour. They will challenge for the championship at the Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Choi Kyung-ju Invitational (total prize money 1.25 billion KRW), held over four days from the 5th at Ferrum Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 7,232 yards). The two players teamed up with Im Sung-jae and Kim Si-woo in the Hangzhou Asian Games team event, beating second-place Thailand by a remarkable 25 strokes. In the individual event, Jang Yoo-bin finished 5th and Jo Woo-young 6th, showing strong performances.
Jo Woo-young and Jang Yoo-bin had the skills to compete on the professional stage for some time but delayed turning pro to participate in the Asian Games. They had to maintain amateur status to be included among the four national representatives dispatched to the Hangzhou Asian Games. After winning the Asian Games gold medal, they immediately completed the KPGA membership process and switched to professional status.
Jang Yu-bin, Cho Woo-young, Im Sung-jae, and Kim Si-woo (from left) are cheering on the podium after winning first place in the golf team event at the Hangzhou Asian Games. [Hangzhou, China = Photo by Xinhua News Agency and Yonhap News]
Jo Woo-young and Jang Yoo-bin had already collected winning trophies on the Korean Tour while still amateurs, securing their tour cards to compete as professionals. Jo Woo-young claimed the title at the Golfzon Open in April, and Jang Yoo-bin won the KPGA Gunsan CC Open in August. The Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Choi Kyung-ju Invitational is their first tournament as professional players. They will compete as equal professional players, not as ‘amateurs who beat pros.’ The two players will play alongside ‘three-time champion’ Ko Gun-taek in rounds 1 and 2.
Ko Gun-taek is a strong favorite to win. He has claimed titles at the DB Insurance Promy Open, Honors K·Solago CC Han Jang-sang Invitational, and Shinhan Donghae Open. He ranks second in prize money and first in Genesis points. If he wins this tournament, he will become the first player in 31 years since Choi Sang-ho in 1992 to achieve four wins in a single season. Ko Gun-taek said, “Winning will bring me one step closer to my goal this year, the Genesis Award.”
Defending champion Lee Hyung-joon dreams of winning for the second consecutive year. Known as the ‘Autumn Man’ for winning four of his six Korean Tour titles in the fall, Lee said, “As the defending champion, I have high expectations. I will approach the tournament with a mindset of letting go of everything and starting anew.” Han Seung-soo (USA) and Choi Seung-bin, ranked 1st and 3rd in prize money respectively, are also eyeing their second wins of the season. Heo In-hoe is aiming for back-to-back victories in two tournaments. The performance of tournament host Choi Kyung-ju is also attracting attention. This will be his first domestic tournament appearance in about five months since the SK Telecom Open in May. Last year, Choi missed the cut in this tournament.
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