Kim Sang-hyun, who took the first place in the Srixon Tour in 2022. [사진 제공 = 던롭스포츠코리아]
Jung Jae-hoon laughed in the competition for the championship in the strong wind that kept him from letting go of the tension until the end. Kim Sang-hyun, who took second place alone, was honored with the ‘Senior Graduation’ on the Srixon Tour of Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA).
On the 7th, in the third round of the final day of the 20th Srixon Tour of 2022 KPGA Srixon Tour held at Kyle Phillips Course (par 72) in Yeongam, South Rings, Yeongam, Jeollanam-do, Sang-Hyun Kim finished the tournament in second place alone after Jae-Hoon Jeong with a total of 210 strokes over a 6-over. Thanks to the victory, Jung Jae-hoon climbed to 4th place in integrated points and secured a ticket to advance to next year’s Korean Tour. However, the highlight of the day had to be given to Kim Sang-hyun. Kim Sang-hyun, who took the lead in points on the Srixon Tour this season with two wins, kept the lead until the end and proudly took the honor of graduating from the top.
Sang-hyun Kim, who played soccer until the 6th grade of elementary school, started playing golf for the first time when he was 17 years old when he was in high school with his maternal uncle Yang Gwang-ho and cousin Yang Dong-hyun, a pro golfer, following field training to Pattaya, Thailand. But he was faster than anyone else. Looking back, saying, “I can’t forget the feeling of the first driver shot I had at that time,” Sang-hyun Kim passed the associate member selection first place three years later, and ranked 10th in the regular membership selection competition to become a tour pro the following year.
And this year, Kim Sang-hyun proudly entered the ‘KPGA Korean Tour’ as the senior. So happy, but not a surprise. “Pro-nim always says, ‘The results you have now are the result of what you have done in the past,'” said Kim Sang-hyun. He smiled brightly.
The drastically changed tour atmosphere also stimulated Kim Sang-hyun. “Srixon Tour is the place where ‘No. 1 Kim Sang-hyun’ was made,” said Kim Sang-hyun, who thanked him. “I hope that the modifier ‘brave’ will be added in the future. The final goal is the stage of the PGA Tour.”
After the final match of the 2022 KPGA Srixon Tour on that day, 10 people including Kim Sang-hyun, Park Hyeong-wook, and Lee Yoo-seok took the seeds for next year’s Korean Tour. In particular, Jung Ji-ho is returning to the Korean tour after two years.
Srixon Tour, which has developed dramatically with Srixon of Dunlop Sports Korea as the sponsor in 2020, is playing the role of a strong supporter of Korean men’s golf. Last year and this year, 20 competitions were held with a total prize money of 1.7 billion won. With an increase in prize money and the number of competitions, it has an environment comparable to that of the Korean Tour, such as a driving range.
Dunlop Sports Korea CEO Hong Soon-seong said, “Srixon has grown along with the development of players and tours.”
[영암 = 조효성 기자]
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