Jang looks to extend lead; Choi seeks to close gap
Jang Yu-bin and Choi Chan will go head-to-head in a race to become the first player on the KPGA Tour to claim a third win this season. Moon Do-yeop, who is preparing for the Asian Games, will also be in the spotlight.
The Golfzon Open runs for four days starting Thursday at Golfzon County Seonsan (par 71) in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province. The tournament carries a purse of 1 billion won ($743,000), with the winner taking home 200 million won.
The most closely watched storyline is the battle between Jang and Choi, who each have two wins this season.
Jang has won the KPGA Classic and the Hana Bank Invitational, and leads the tour in both Genesis Points (4,230.70) and prize money (682.81 million won). He carried his momentum into last week's Shinhan Donghae Open, where he finished tied for second.
Choi is the chief challenger. After winning the Woori Financial Group Championship and the Dong-A Membership Group Open, he sits second in Genesis Points (3,123.87) and third in prize money (516.06 million won). He managed only a tie for 60th at the Shinhan Donghae Open, but a victory this week would give him a third win before Jang while significantly closing the gap in the Genesis Points standings.
The Genesis Points leader at season's end receives the Genesis Award, which comes with 200 million won, a five-year KPGA Tour exemption, a direct berth into the PGA Tour Q-School final stage, and a one-year DP World Tour card.
Moon Do-yeop, who is set to compete at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, is another player to watch. Moon won the KPGA Gyeongbuk Open at the same Golfzon County Seonsan course in May, finishing at 14-under-par 270. The familiar layout gives him a chance to contend for another title while sharpening his competitive edge ahead of the Asian Games.
Defending champion Park Sung-kook will bid to become the first back-to-back winner in the tournament's history. He won last year's edition at 16-under-par 268, claiming his second career title in seven years.
Also in the field are Ham Jeong-woo, Park Eun-shin and Jeong Chan-min, all of whom have won events held at this course. The tournament is a 72-hole stroke-play event with 132 players competing across four rounds.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
