'Bear' Seungtaek Lee, Anticipated Power as He Joins the PGA Tour

First Appearance at KPGA Tour in The Charity Classic
Secures PGA Tour Card by Ranking 13th in Korn Ferry Tour Points
"I Will Repay the Tremendous Support with My Best Performance"

'Bear' Seungtaek Lee will greet domestic golf fans this year.

Starting October 16, Seungtaek Lee will compete in The Charity Classic, a Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Tour event held over four days at Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 7,065 yards), with a total prize fund of 1 billion won. This is his first KPGA Tour event of the year. Last year, Lee attempted to qualify for the PGA Tour Q-School in the United States, having earned a spot as one of the top Genesis Points players. This season, he secured eligibility to play on the PGA Korn Ferry Tour (the second-tier tour) and competed in the United States.

Seungtaek Lee (right) plays alongside Sanghyun Park in the first round of The Charity Classic. Photo by KPGA

On October 12, he finished tied for 24th at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, the final event of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, held in French Lick, Indiana. This season, Lee recorded one runner-up finish and placed in the top ten six times on the Korn Ferry Tour. He ranked 13th in the Korn Ferry Tour points standings, earning a PGA Tour card for next year, which is awarded to the top 20 players.

Seungtaek Lee was a member of the national team in 2012. He made his KPGA Tour debut in 2015 through the KPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, and at the end of 2017, he topped the Asian Tour Q-School, allowing him to play on both tours from 2018. He enlisted in the military in 2020 and was discharged in June 2022. Lee returned to the KPGA Tour in 2023 and claimed his first career victory at the 2024 Lexus Masters.

This time, Lee will compete with the distinction of having earned a spot on the PGA Tour. After finishing his Korn Ferry Tour season, he returned to Korea to prepare for The Charity Classic. He stated, "It's been a while since I've played in front of domestic fans. As I've received tremendous support, I will do my best to deliver top performance in return."

In the first round of the tournament, Seungtaek Lee will play alongside Sanghyun Park, who has 13 career KPGA Tour wins, and Kim Baekjun, the winner of the 20th DB Insurance Promy Open, the season opener.