Joint Korea-Japan Hana Bank Invitational to Begin
Victory at Baeksong Holdings-Asiad CC Busan Open Last Week
"I Will Challenge for the Title at This Tournament as Well"
'King of Screen Golf' Hongtaek Kim is set to defend his home turf.
The Hana Bank Invitational, co-hosted by the Korean and Japanese professional golf tours and featuring a total prize fund of 1.3 billion KRW, will take place over four days starting June 12 at The Heaven Country Club (par 72, 7,293 yards) in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. This tournament is a collaboration between the Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Tour and the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO). It was held in Japan in 2023, while last year and this year, the winner will be determined in Korea.
A total of 144 players will compete, including those with priority seeds from the KPGA Tour and JGTO. There will be 75 Korean players and 55 Japanese players. The winner's prize is 260 million KRW. The champion will receive a two-year tour card for both the Korean and Japanese tours, as well as 1,000 Genesis points.
Hongtaek Kim is determined to claim the winner's trophy on home soil. In the 2023 tournament held in Japan, Jiho Yang took the title, while last year's event in Korea was won by Takashi Ogiso of Japan. Hongtaek Kim's recent form has been strong. He claimed victory at the Baeksong Holdings-Asiad CC Busan Open last week. This marked his third career win, coming one year and one month after his previous victory at the 43rd GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May 2024.
Hongtaek Kim has shown impressive momentum this year, securing wins in both screen golf tournaments and on the KPGA Tour. He stated, "I am not satisfied with this alone. I will do my best to maintain this positive momentum and challenge for the title at the Hana Bank Invitational as well."
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