Top three finishers to receive 2027 KPGA Tour entry
The KPGA's 11th DB Insurance Young Guns Match Play, a proving ground for South Korea's top young male golfers, will be organized by the Korea Professional Golf Tour (KPGT) this year instead of the Korea Golf Association (KGA).
Hosted by DB Insurance, the tournament runs from Monday through Saturday at Rainbow Hills Country Club in Eumseong-gun, North Chungcheong Province. Thirty-two players who advanced through a 36-hole stroke-play qualifier held Monday and Tuesday will compete in an 18-hole match-play tournament beginning Wednesday, with a champion to be decided over three days.
Founded in 2015, the event is the country's only elite amateur match-play competition. It began under the auspices of 16 regional golf associations before being absorbed into the KGA in 2023, with the KPGT taking over operations this year.
The tournament's inaugural champion, Oh Seung-taek, claimed his first victory at this year's KPGA Founders Cup, while second-edition winner Kim Dong-min topped the KB Financial Group Liv Championship in 2023. Fourth-edition winner Bae Yong-jun has two career tour victories to his name. Jeong Chan-min, a three-time tour winner, and Jang Yu-bin, a five-time winner, finished runner-up at the second and sixth editions, respectively.
This year's field features qualifier leader Shin Jae-uk (17, Sinseong High School), Jeong Jo-guk (16, Gyeonggu High School) and national team member Kang Seung-gu (18, Namseong High School) among the contenders for the title.
The shift to KPGT management has also expanded the benefits for top finishers. Entry to the 2027 KPGA Tour DB Insurance Promi Open, previously reserved for the winner alone, will now be extended to the top three. The champion will additionally receive a spot in one KPGA Tour event next year and KPGA professional associate membership. The runner-up and third-place finisher will receive two and one exemptions, respectively, from the preliminary round of the KPGA professional qualifying tournament.
KPGT chief Kim Won-seop said the organization would "do its utmost to run the tournament so that players can showcase their skills and grow in the best possible environment."
yjc@heraldcorp.com
