Around 20,000 golfers entered domestic qualifier; 300 advance to main round
Domestic main round set for July–August at China City Golf Yanji
Lee Jun-hee and Ha Seung-bin tied for first place in the pro division of the 2026 Golfzon China Open domestic qualifier.
According to Golfzon, the domestic qualifier ran from March 10 through May 31, drawing roughly 20,000 golfers — 4,461 in the pro division and 15,523 in the amateur division — who combined for more than 40,000 rounds. The turnout underscored the enthusiasm surrounding the global screen golf tour, which runs for a full 10 months through the December final.
The Korean pro qualifier drew a strong field of leading names from the domestic screen golf circuit, GTOUR, making for fierce competition. Lee Jun-hee, a one-time GTOUR winner, and Ha Seung-bin, who won the GTOUR rookie award in the 2024 season, finished tied at the top. Park Chan-hee, also a one-time tour winner, came in third, while 2025 season player of the year Lee Yong-hee tied for fourth alongside Ha Ki-won, a seven-time winner. Lee Jeong-ung and Gong Tae-hyeon also finished in the rankings and advanced to the main round.
The 2026 Golfzon China Open carries a total purse of 20 million yuan (approximately $2.95 million, or about 4.25 billion won), with a winner's prize of 5 million yuan (approximately 1.05 billion won). The global screen golf tour is open to golfers of all levels — from professionals to amateurs — across Korea, China, the broader Asia region, the Americas and Europe. Competitors advance through online and offline qualifiers and main rounds in each region before the final, to be held in December at a China City Golf venue.
Competition in the amateur division was even more intense than in the pro division. A total of 15,523 members entered, generating more than 30,000 rounds. The two co-leaders in the amateur division posted 38 under par — better than the pro division leader's mark of 33 under par.
Son Jang-soon, head of Golfzon's new business division, said he was grateful for the strong participation in the global screen golf tour qualifier. "We will make the main round and final — where golfers from around the world gather in front of Golfzon simulators — a truly successful global screen golf event," he said.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
