"Song Young-han Wins After 7 Years and 7 Months: 'This Year, 90 Points'"

Cheers for Victory at Japan Sansan KBC Augusta
Swing Correction Hits the Mark: Increased Distance and Accuracy
Married in December 2021, "Aiming for 2 Children"
"I Will Strive for Multiple Wins Next Year," Ambition Revealed

"This year, I give myself 90 points."

There is a player who had the happiest year in 2023. It is none other than the ‘Little Prince’ Song Younghan. Playing on the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), Song Younghan reached the top at the Sansan KBC Augusta in August. He lifted the winner’s trophy for the first time in about 7 years and 7 months since his victory at the SMBC Singapore Open in January 2016. He wiped away the frustration of finishing runner-up five times since his first win. In an interview with Asia Economy on the 22nd, he smiled brightly, saying, "It feels like an unforgettable year," and "I regained confidence that I can do it too." He added, "Considering the situation before the season, I would give myself 100 points out of 100," but smiled and said, "Since I wanted to add one more win after the victory but couldn’t achieve it, my score for this year is 90 points."

Song Young-han, who won after 7 years and 7 months, expressed his ambition, saying, "I definitely want to achieve more than 2 wins next year."

Song Younghan was on a roll. He was the money leader of the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Frontier (3rd tier) Tour in 2011, won the Rookie of the Year award on the Korean Tour in 2013, and received the Rookie of the Year award on the JGTO in 2015. In 2016, he captured his first professional win, raising expectations. Until 2018, he alternated between the Korean Tour and JGTO. He enlisted in the military in January 2019 and was discharged in August 2020, returning to the tour. Currently, the JGTO is his main stage.

After completing his military service, Song Younghan struggled to produce good results. He often fell short at the final hurdle and settled for runner-up finishes. Last season, he barely maintained his tour card. In 23 tournaments last year, he had no wins and only one top-10 finish. He ranked 51st in earnings (16,411,975 yen), 73rd in points (564 points), and 50th in scoring average (71.830 strokes), showing poor performance. He recalled, "I went through a really tough time. I thought there was nowhere lower to fall, so I took a gamble."

Last winter, Song Younghan chose to take a risk during his training camp in Thailand. He started correcting his swing. He changed the path of his backswing and his ball flight. After a year, he became a completely different player. He reaped the reward with a victory at the Sansan KBC Augusta. It was the first win by a Korean player in a JGTO event in 2 years and 1 month since Kim Seonghyun’s victory at the Japan PGA Championship in July 2021. This year, he finished in the top 10 ten times, including one win. He ranks 4th in earnings (110,545,499 yen), points (227 points), and scoring average (70.04 strokes). Song Younghan said, "I didn’t realize winning would be this hard. I didn’t think it would take this long," and added, "Because I hadn’t won for so long, I even worried whether I could ever win. This victory is really meaningful."

Song Young-han improved both distance and accuracy through swing correction.

Since correcting his swing, Song Younghan’s driving distance and accuracy have improved. His average driving distance increased by 14.03 yards compared to last year, reaching 287.15 yards (49th). His greens in regulation rate also rose from 65.825% last year to 74.291% this year, ranking first overall in the JGTO. Song Younghan explained, "As my swing improved, my shots became more stable. With increased distance, playing became easier," and "My shot accuracy also improved. I think I changed my swing well." His friend and swing coach Lee Jungwoo, who is the same age and a former KPGA player, played a big role. He expressed gratitude, saying, "He helped me not only technically but also mentally. He’s a thankful friend."

Song Younghan has a good personality and many friends in Japan. Among them, he is close with Nagano Yutaro. He said, "He is a player who performed well enough to rank 6th in the earnings list this year." He is also friends with ‘Japan’s star’ Ishikawa Ryo and ‘Japan’s rising star’ Nakajima Keita. Especially, Ishikawa helped him maintain his tour card. Ishikawa was the ‘benefactor’ who requested the JGTO to grant a ‘military enlistment card deferment’?a rule that did not even exist at the time. Song Younghan recalled, "Before enlisting, there was talk about my tour card. Ishikawa personally called and said, ‘It’s been resolved well. Serve your military duty comfortably.’"

Song Younghan got married in December 2021. Two years have already passed. He said, "My wife works, so we live apart. I am in Japan, and my wife is in Suwon Gwanggyo." His wife comes to Japan once or twice a year to cheer him on. Song Younghan plans to have about two children. He said, "People often ask. Since my wife is the same age, it seems like the right time to have children," and honestly added, "Personally, I want a daughter. If my children want to play golf, I would oppose it for now. It’s too tough."

Song Young-han is smiling brightly while holding the trophy right after winning the JGTO Sansan KBC Augusta in August.

The number of Korean players on the JGTO is rapidly decreasing. Song Younghan said, "There used to be up to 20 players competing together. Now, only about four remain," and recalled, "When there were many senior players, it was really reassuring." He plans to take a break for a while and focus on physical training. Song Younghan emphasized, "Physical strength is important. I felt tired during the season. I will build a body suitable for golf." The overseas training location and duration are undecided. He said, "Every year, I have improved my physical strength domestically before going abroad for training. Since turning pro, I have never had a training camp longer than one month." Regarding his goals for next year, he confidently said, "I want to win multiple times. If I keep producing consistent results, I will have a chance to become the money leader."