Asian Tour Yearbook - 2022

Mingyu Cho (SECOND LEFT) was penalised two shots on hole nine and lost by two. Kyongjun Moon (LEFT) finished strongly to secure solo third. I gave it my all, but it just wasn’t enough. But it was amazing to participate in a Korean tournament with crowds. -JOOHYUNG KIM him rise to second on the Asian Tour Order of Merit behind American Sihwan Kim, who missed the cut. Ahead of the KRW1,200,000,000 (approximately US$990,000) event, Kim, who soared into the international golfing spotlight after gaining his PGA Tour card via qualifying school at the end of 2010, talked about his ambitions of breaking into the OWGR’s top-100, qualifying for the Majors – and making up for lost time. In 2011, at the age of 20, he was the youngest member of the PGA Tour. Although he posted five top-25 finishes from 25 starts, he finished 162nd on the Money List and lost his card. The plus side was that he returned to his home continent, competing mainly on the domestic Korean PGA Tour. Prior to that, he twice contended in the Maekyung Open at Namseoul while still an amateur, placing joint fourth in 2007 and equal third in 2008. “We grew up at Namseoul Country Club,” said Kim. “As a national team member, I had the opportunity to play the course quite a bit. “Comfort wise, it’s a place where I grew up and where I practice a lot. That’s a reason why I’ve had success here. I like the golf course … and my house is about 20 minutes away. That helps! I’m just happy to keep my good record going at Namseoul.” For reigning Order of Merit winner Joohyung Kim it was also a week to remember, even if victory eluded him. After ending joint fifth, he said: “I gave it my all, but it just wasn’t enough. I really wanted to win. It’s one of the big events in Korea and it was amazing to participate in a Korean tournament with crowds.” 61 T H E 4 1 S T G S C A LT E X M A E K Y U N G O P E N NAMS EOU L COUNTRY C LUB | MAY 5 - 8 , 2022 | P R IZE MON E Y K RW 1 , 200,000,000 (AP P ROXI MATE LY US$99 0,000)