Will The Korean Golf Club Make Waves In LIV Golf?

Debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Three players with impressive careers in Korea, the United States, and Japan tee off
All eyes on whether they can showcase the strength of Korean men's golf

The Korean Golf Club will make its debut in LIV Golf.

On February 4 (local time), the team will compete in the LIV Golf 2026 season opener in Riyadh (total prize money of 30 million dollars), held at Riyadh Golf Club (par 72) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The tournament will be played under floodlights as a night event starting at 6:05 p.m. A total of 57 players will participate, including 52 players from 13 teams and 5 wild cards. Starting this year, LIV Golf has changed its format from the previous 54 holes to 72 holes.

From the left, Kim Mingyu, Song Younghan, Ahn Byunghun and Lee Danny of the Korean Golf Club are posing for a commemorative photo ahead of the 2026 LIV Golf opener in Riyadh. Provided by Eomeijingkeuri

Korean golf fans are excited about the launch of the new Korean Golf Club. An Byeonghun, who has played on the PGA Tour, has joined as captain. He is joined by Song Younghan, who has two wins on the Japan Golf Tour (JGTO), and Kim Mingyu, who has three wins on the Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Tour and two wins on the Asian Tour. Danny Lee of New Zealand, who played for the Iron Heads Golf Club last year, is also on the team.

An Byeonghun is one of the leading figures in Korean men's golf. He is well known as the son of table tennis stars Ahn Jaehyung of Korea and Jiao Zhimin of China. On the PGA Tour, he has played in 229 tournaments and finished runner-up five times. His career earnings total 21,535,424 dollars (about 31.4 billion won). An said with a big smile, "I have gotten myself into peak condition for this tournament," adding, "You can look forward to some great golf."

Song Younghan said, "Playing in LIV Golf is a great honor for me as a player," and added, "I will approach the tournament with a greater sense of responsibility." Youngest member Kim Mingyu said, "Because it is a night event, I think it will have a unique atmosphere. Since this is the first start of the season, I will do my best to show on the course everything I have prepared."