The ripe season for men’s and women’s professional golf in South Korea is coming to a close. From the beginning of June, a series of so-called “big events” are scheduled to take place, attracting the attention of golf fans.
The Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association 토토사이트 (KLPGA) Tour is preparing for the Lotte Open at BearsBest Cheongna Golf Club with a total prize pool of 800 million won. The prize pool is standard, but the winner will qualify for the Lotte Championship on the U.S. Women’s Professional Golf (LPGA) Tour, hosted by Lotte. Sung Yoo-jin (23-Hanwha Q CELLS), who won the Doosan Match Play Championship on Nov. 21, finished runner-up in a playoff at this year’s Lotte Championship in Hawaii.
The Lotte Open concludes with the Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour’s premier event, the KPGA Championship, with a total prize fund of 1.5 billion won. This year’s tournament will be held at AONE Country Club in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, and is the 66th edition of the prestigious tournament. The KPGA held an extraordinary general assembly on the 22nd of this month and passed this year’s budget, allowing the organization to accelerate preparations for the tournament. The KPGA Championship is the tournament that selects the KPGA champion, so it is a bustling event with not only Korean Tour players but also challengers trying to advance to the main event through Monday’s qualifying round.
After the KPGA Championship, the Korean Tour will travel to Japan. The Hana Bank Invitational (KRW 1 billion in prize money) will be held at Itsumi CC in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The tournament is co-organized with the Japan Tour and will be a battle of pride between Korean and Japanese players. The fact that it is the first Korean Tour to be held overseas since the COVID-19 pandemic is enough to attract fans’ attention.
Players on the move at the Korean Women’s Open last year. Photo credit | KLPGA
The KLPGA Tour moves to Yangyang, Gangwon Province, for the Celltrion Queens Masters (total prize money of 1.2 billion won) before continuing with the national title event, the DB Group Korea Women’s Open (total prize money of 1.2 billion won). The Korea Women’s Open is the national title tournament and is held as a festival to select a golf queen for both professionals and amateurs. It is a prestigious tournament that has produced some of the world’s best players, including the inaugural winner, Kang Chun-ja, former CEO of the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Tour (KLPGT), Kim Mi-hyun, Jang Jeong, Kim Young-young, Shin Ji-ae, Kim Hyo-joo, and Park Sung-hyun.
After the Korean Women’s Open, the men’s national title, the Kolon Korea Open, will visit golf fans. The Korean Open is the final event of the first half of the Korean Tour. It”s been around since 1958, so it has as much history and tradition as the KPGA Championship. The Korean Open has produced legends such as Choi Kyung-joo, Yang Yong Yang, Bae Sang-moon, and Lee Kyung-hoon, who have shown off their Korean power on the U.S. Professional Golf (PGA) Tour. In the three weeks between the KPGA Championship and the Kolon Korea Open, the Korean Tour pays out at least 3.5 billion won in prize money alone.