Korean golf vows to regain ‘Asia’s strongest’ honor…gold for first time in 9 years
Golf, which first became an official Asian Games sport in 1982 in New Delhi, has been South Korea’s “medal garden” for some time. Starting with the men’s team gold at the 1986 Seoul Games, South Korea has won a record 13 gold medals in the sport.
At the 2006 Doha and 2010 Guangzhou Games, Korea won the men’s and women’s individual and team titles, cementing its position as Asia’s golfing powerhouse.
However, the last two Asian Games have been disappointing. At home in Incheon 2014, the women’s individual title was their only gold medal, and most recently at Jakarta-Palembang 2018, they went home with no gold (2 silver, 1 bronze). With the recent Asian golf craze continuing at the Asian Games, it is no longer possible to claim the title of “Asia’s strongest”.
At the Hangzhou Games, Korean golf is looking to redeem itself. The goal is to win at least two gold medals.
Expectations are especially high for men’s golf. While women’s golf, known as the “Taeguksangja Corps” until a few years ago, played overseas mainly on the U.S. Women’s Professional Golf (LPGA) Tour, men’s golfers have recently made their mark on the world’s top stage, the U.S. Professional Golf (PGA) Tour.
Moreover, as professional players are allowed to compete in the tournament, Kim Si-woo (28) and Lim Sung-jae (25-plus CJ), who play on the PGA Tour, are expected to wear the Korean flag.
Kim has four career wins on the PGA Tour and won the Sony Open in January. While Lim is winless this season, he has two career victories and has consistently finished in the top 10, appearing in the final round of the PGA Tour Playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.
The other two are amateurs Cho Woo-young (22) and Jang Yubin (21). Both of them have already represented their countries, but delayed their professional careers to compete in the Asian Games.
As such, it’s safe to say that their skills are already ‘pro-level’. This season, both have made frequent appearances as invitees on the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour, where they have earned a reputation as “pro-catching flax” with one win each.
The men’s field is solid enough that the goal of sweeping the individual and team titles is not unreasonable.
On the women’s side, there are no professional players, so only three amateurs will be competing. Kim Min-sol (17), Lim Ji-yu (18), and Yoo Hyun-jo (18).
While it is true that the men’s team lacks the weight of the PGA Tour, these players have already distinguished themselves in international amateur tournaments and professional tournaments as invitees from a young age.
In particular, Kim Min-sol was 16 years old when she participated in the LPGA Tour’s BMW Ladies Championship in Korea as an invitee and tied for 10th place.
The fact that she passed the national team selection, which is said to be a “needle in a haystack” in the first place, is a validation of her skills.메이저사이트
Meanwhile, the golf event will be held at the West Lake International Golf Course for four days from September 28. Four players from each country will compete in the men’s competition and three players from each country in the women’s competition, with individual winners determined by 72 holes of stroke play.
In the team competition, the teams will be ranked based on their combined score. However, the last place finisher in each round (4th place for men and 3rd place for women) will be excluded.