Dream Tour Players Move to Boycott Overseas Tournaments
30 Participants Likely to Secure Next Year’s Seeds
KLPGA Board to Approve Prize Money Adjustments
Record Boom in Regular Tour, Urgent Need for Dream Tour Investment
Recently, a strange incident occurred on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour. The KLPGA announced that, in partnership with the Asia Golf Leaders Forum (AGLF), it would hold two Dream Tour tournaments in Indonesia and the Philippines. Although new tournaments were created, Dream Tour players are dissatisfied. They are even considering collective action to boycott future Dream Tour events.
Song Eun-ah earned 52.84 million won this year on the Dream Tour, ranking first in prize money. Photo by KLPGA
There is a reason for this. The quota for Korean players in these tournaments is 50. On the Dream Tour, 30 players ranked from 21st to 50th in the prize money rankings participate. The total prize money for each of the two tournaments is $300,000 (approximately 420 million KRW). The winner's prize is expected to exceed 60 million KRW. Since Korean players are generally more skilled than Indonesian and Filipino players, there is a high probability that they will dominate the prize money.
If a player ranks within the top 20 in the Dream Tour prize money rankings, they receive a regular tour card for the following year. Jo Ann earned 22,403,885 KRW this year on the Dream Tour, ranking 20th in prize money and advancing to the first division tour. Players who participate in overseas Dream Tour events receive large prize money in advance and then start the Dream Tour. Players who cannot participate in overseas tournaments find it difficult to break into the top 20 in the prize money rankings.
This is why many players preparing for the Dream Tour have expressed strong dissatisfaction with overseas tournaments. The KLPGA will hold a board meeting early this month. Aware of the Dream Tour players' complaints, the KLPGA plans to partially address the criticism by adjusting the recognized prize money amounts and points.
The reality of the Dream Tour is harsh. This year's top prize money earner is Song Eun-ah. The Dream Tour prize money queen earned 52,837,597 KRW. This income is barely enough to cover expenses. The Dream Tour held a total of 20 tournaments this year, with total prize money amounting to 1.68 billion KRW. Dream Tour players cannot solve their livelihood issues through tournament prize money. In fact, they are operating at a loss after paying for entry fees, accommodation, and transportation.
The Dream Tour has failed to secure decent sponsors over the past two years. Existing sponsors have withdrawn, and the KLPGA has shown little interest in the Dream Tour. Promising young players who will lead the future of Korean women's golf are enduring hardships. As sponsors left, the total prize money per tournament dropped to around 70 million KRW. Management companies have had to step in as title sponsors, creating a serious situation.
The Dream Tour once had better days. This was during the period from March 2017 to February 2021 when Kim Sang-yeol, then chairman of the Hoban Group, served as the association president. Hoban Construction actively invested in the Dream Tour. Many tournaments had total prize money exceeding 100 million KRW. At his inauguration, Chairman Kim promised, "We will expand the prize money and benefits of the second-tier Dream Tour to solidify the foundation of the regular tour. We will also strive to improve the quantity and quality of the Champions Tour, which serves as a platform for retired players." Players such as Lee Sola (2017), Lee Seung-yeon (2018), Hwang Ye-na (2019), and Kim Jae-hee (2020) received prize money exceeding 100 million KRW and became 'prize money queens.'
Yoo Yina earned 1,211,420,000 KRW this year on the KLPGA Tour, becoming the prize money queen. Photo by KLPGA
On the other hand, the KLPGA regular tour is booming. This has been especially noticeable since Kim Jung-tae, former chairman of Hana Financial Group, took office in 2021. Park Min-ji earned over 1 billion KRW in 2021 (1,521,374,313 KRW) and 2022 (1,477,921,143 KRW), and Lee Ye-won earned 1,424,817,530 KRW in 2023. This year's prize money king, Yoon Ina, earned 1,211,415,715 KRW. There are 76 players who earned over 100 million KRW this year. The first division tour held 30 tournaments this year with a total prize money of 32 billion KRW, the largest prize pool ever. The domestic regular tour conditions have improved so much that players who perform exceptionally well domestically are reluctant to move to the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour.
The KLPGA must establish a long-term development plan. Investment in the Dream Tour is urgent. The KLPGA earned 46.6 billion KRW in revenue last year. Adding the KLPGT's revenue of 20.6 billion KRW brings the total to 67.2 billion KRW. With the KLPGA enjoying a boom, it should create more Dream Tour tournaments and increase prize money. Conditions should be created so that players competing on the Dream Tour can reduce financial burdens and focus on their sport.
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