KPGA Tour QT Final Stage Begins
Hellish Race for Next Year's Seed at Gunsan CC
Winner and Top 40 in Qualifying Secure Tour Cards
Kim Min-hwi, Jang I-geun, Seo Hyung-seok, Hong Soon-sang Challenge for Seeds
There is no eternal champion. Even players who once dominated the tour must go through qualifying rounds if they fail to perform well over a long period. The Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Tour began the Qualifying Tournament (QT) Final (total prize money of 30 million KRW) from the 12th at Gunsan CC Tournament Course in Jeonbuk (Par 72, 7,460 yards) to secure next year’s tour cards.
A total of 119 players are competing in a 4-round, 72-hole stroke play format. Rankings will be determined based on scorecards after the competition ends. The KPGA Tour QT winner will receive the 18th seed category, and the top 40 players excluding the winner will be placed in the 22nd seed category.
Big-name stars stand out in this “race from hell.” Kim Min-hwi, who won gold medals in both the individual and team events at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, is a representative player. After failing to qualify in the KPGA QT, he wandered around peripheral tours such as the OneAsia Tour but regained his pride by winning the 2012 Shinhan Donghae Open. He received the Rookie of the Year award in 2012. Since winning the 2018 Descente Korea Munsingwear Match Play, he has not claimed another victory.
He moved to the U.S. in 2013 to play on the PGA Web.com Tour (the second tier) and joined the PGA Tour in 2015 but did not collect any trophies. His best individual results were second place at the 2017 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and the FedEx St. Jude Classic. This year, he participated in seven domestic tournaments but failed to break into the top 10. He is dreaming of a comeback through the KPGA Tour QT.
Jang I-geun is also a “big fish” player. He claimed titles at the 2017 Kolon 60th Korean Open and the Tee Up G Swing Mega Open. He topped the Asian Tour Qualifying (Q) School in 2016 and won the 2019 Yangde Tournament Players Championship. In 2017, he set the KPGA Tour record for the lowest 72-hole score and the most under par (28 under par, 260 strokes). He was also a Rookie of the Year recipient that same year.
Among the entrants are Seo Hyung-seok, who has two KPGA Tour wins, as well as Park Sung-guk and Kim Dong-eun. Also competing for seeds are Mo Joong-kyung, Hong Soon-sang (5 wins), Joo Heung-chul, Maeng Dong-seop (3 wins each), and Park Il-hwan, who won the team gold medal in golf at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games and received the Rookie of the Year award in 2014, all active on the KPGA Champions (Senior) Tour.
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