Gangwon golfers Kim Gyeong-tae (37, from Sokcho) and Lee Su-min (30, from Pyeongchang), who are returning to the Korean Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour in the 2023 season, are drawing attention.
On the 6th, Kim Kyung-tae announced through KPGA, “I decided to focus on the KPGA Korean Tour starting this year.” The KPGA Tour recently changed the qualification for permanent seed rights from ‘more than 25 wins in total’ to ’20 wins in total and victory in 4 major tournaments’. With this, Kim Gyeong-tae, who won 6 wins on the KPGA Tour and 14 wins on the Japan Professional Golf Tour (JGTO), is 5th after Choi Sang-ho (68), Choi Gyeong-ju (53), Han Jang-sang (83), Park Nam-shin (64), and Yang Yong-eun (51). to retain the permanent seed right.
Kim Kyung-tae, who has the nickname ‘monster’, has been different since his amateur days. From 2003 to 2006 he wore the Taegeuk mark, and in 2005 and 2006 he won the Japan Amateur Championship consecutively. In 2006, he won two gold medals at the Doha Asian Games. In 2007, when he turned pro, he won three victories and won the grand prize, prize money king, and rookie king.
Kim Gyeong-tae, who has been on the Asian stage since 2008, won the prize money twice with 14 wins until the 2019 Casio World Open. However, for the past two years, he has been plagued by injuries and has not been able to show his skills, and has been given a chance to leap again with the KPGA’s relaxation of qualifications to acquire permanent seed rights.
Kim Gyeong-tae, who has devoted himself to the KPGA tour for the first time in 16 years since 2007, picked the tournament (Shinhan Donghae Open) held by a sponsor he has been with for 17 years as his goal this season. Currently, Kim Gyeong-tae is training in Thailand.
Another Gangwon golfer, Lee Soo-min, started his return to the KPGA Korean Tour this season after completing his military service. Lee Su-min, who was discharged in October of last year after enlisting in April 2021, recently submitted an application for return to the military for the 2023 season. 먹튀검증
Lee Su-min debuted on the KPGA Korean Tour in 2015 and currently has a total of 5 wins (4 domestic wins and 1 DP World Tour win). Lee Soo-min, who was active as the national team ace from 2011 to 2014, won the Korean Tour Gunsan CC Open as an amateur in 2013, and after his professional debut, he won the Gunsan CC Open again in 2015, a rookie season, and won the Rookie of the Year Award (Myeong Chul-sang ) was grabbed. Afterwards, he won the European Tour (now DP World Tour) Shenzhen International in 2016, and won the Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Choi Gyeong-ju Invitational in 2019, winning the Genesis prize money. He also won the KPGA Open with Solago CC in 2020.
Lee Soo-min, who worked as a social service worker at the Daegwanryeong Reserve Army Myeondae, practiced shots and physical training every day after work, so his distance and physical strength improved compared to before enlisting. Currently, Soo-min Lee is training intensely, focusing on the short game and recovery of the senses in practice.