Dee CJ Cup Invitee Choi Seung-bin: "It's an Honor Just to Stand on the PGA Stage"

2023 KPGA Championship Winner and Rising Star
The Only Domestic Tour Player Invited to the Tournament
Consistent Challenge for the US Stage Since 2022
"I Am Excited to See Scottie Scheffler's Play"

A dream has come true. This is the story of Choi Seung-bin, a promising male golfer in Korea. On the 1st of next month (local time), he will participate in the PGA Tour's The CJ Cup Byron Nelson (total prize money $9.9 million) held at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, USA. He is the only Korean Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Tour player invited by the host. Choi Seung-bin, who participated in the KPGA Tour DB Insurance Promy Open held on the Old Course at La Vie Belle Golf & Resort in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, which opened on the 17th, said in an interview with Asia Economy before the tournament, "It has been my dream to play on the PGA Tour since I was young," and added, "I am excited to compete on a big stage through The CJ Cup," showing childlike joy.

Dee CJ Cup Invitee Choi Seung-bin: "It's an Honor Just to Stand on the PGA Stage"

Top prospect Choi Seung-bin dreams of advancing to the PGA Tour and playing alongside Rory McIlroy. Chuncheon ? Photo by No Woo-rae

Choi Seung-bin is a player from Jeju Island who served as a national team reserve. He first held a golf club in the 5th grade of elementary school. He decided to become a player in the 6th grade. He learned golf by watching YouTube videos and from his father, an amateur expert. As a junior, he won the Jeju Governor's Cup in 2019. He debuted on the KPGA Tour in 2022 and gained attention by winning the 66th KPGA Championship in 2023. He received a five-year tour card with his major tournament victory. He explained, "I didn't expect to win so quickly," and "Thanks to the win, I am comfortably living the tour life."

Born in May 2001, Choi Seung-bin looks like an idol. He has a small face and a cute smile. He is 177 cm tall and weighs 72 kg. Although small in stature, he boasts tremendous driving distance, averaging over 300 yards. He chose the driver as his most confident club. He ranked 3rd in average driving distance in 2023 (311.224 yards) and 2nd last year (309.465 yards). "I am confident in hitting straight and far," he said. Regarding tips for weekend golfers to hit long drives, he advised, "You need to practice hitting strongly from the beginning. If you only focus on making your swing look pretty, you can't increase your distance."

Choi Seung-bin has been invited by CJ Group to participate in the PGA Tour The CJ Cup Byron Nelson. CJ Group

Choi Seung-bin's mentor is Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), who is ranked 2nd in the world. "I liked McIlroy from the time I first learned golf. I imitated McIlroy's swing by watching videos," he said. McIlroy won the Masters, a major tournament, last week. He has won all four major championships: the 2011 US Open, 2012 PGA Championship, 2014 The Open, and the Masters. He became the sixth golfer in history to achieve a career Grand Slam. This was a great record set 15 years after Tiger Woods (USA) in 2000. He is now a 'living legend.' Choi Seung-bin smiled brightly, saying, "I saw the scene of him winning the Masters, and it was so cool."

This year, Choi Seung-bin is focusing on the KPGA Tour. He plans to improve his skills further and move to overseas stages. During the off-season last winter, he went to Vietnam for training. He concentrated solely on golf for about 40 days. He said, "I worked hard to improve my short game, which was lacking, and also studied a lot about how to approach courses."

Choi Seung-bin is smiling brightly while holding the trophy after winning the 2023 major KPGA Championship. KPGA

Choi Seung-bin's dream is to play on the PGA Tour. He also imagines playing alongside his idol McIlroy. Since 2022, he has challenged the PGA Tour Qualifying (Q) School for three years. He passed the first qualifying round but failed to advance to the final stage. After this season ends, he plans to take the qualification test again to enter the PGA Tour. "I am learning golf through challenges. Every time I play Q School, my dream becomes clearer. I imagine myself playing on the regular PGA Tour someday."

Choi Seung-bin will board a flight to the US on the 28th after playing in the opening DB Insurance Promy Open and the Woori Financial Championship on the 24th to participate in The CJ Cup. He said, "I heard that Scottie Scheffler (USA), the world number one, will participate in The CJ Cup. It is an opportunity to see the play of world-class players directly," and added, "It will be a precious experience in my golf life. I will play hard." When asked what kind of player he wants to become, he firmly said, "I want to be a player who constantly challenges himself."