Shinhan Financial Group will host the 39th Shinhan Donghae Open from July 7-10 at the Club 72 Ocean Course (Par 72, 7204 yards) in Yeongjongdo, Incheon.
The tournament, with a total prize fund of 1.4 billion won and a first-place prize of 252 million won, will be broadcast live in more than 30 countries via JTBC Golf Channel and satellite.
Since 2019, the Shinhan Donghae Open has been co-hosted by the KPGA Korean Tour, Asian Tour, and JGTO Japan Golf Tour, and this year, 138 players from more than 10 countries will compete for the title of Asia’s strongest golfer.
After being held at Bears Best Cheongna Golf Club in Incheon for seven years from 2015, the last 38 editions have been held at Koma Country Club in Japan, where the tournament was founded to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Shinhan Financial Group. For the 39th edition, which will return to Korea and invite galleries for the first time in four years after COVID-19, the tournament will move to the Ocean Course at Club 72 (formerly Sky 72) in Incheon, making it easier for ‘intuitive’ golfers to navigate the 18 holes in a space that could easily fit a 27-hole course. There’s also a “genealogy of the greats” that galleries should be aware of. Around the teeing areas of the 3rd, 6th, and 13th holes and around the green of the 16th hole are places where you can watch two or three holes being played at the same time.
The big question is who will win.
For starters, it’s interesting to watch the race for the “58”. There have only been four 58s in a major world tour event, and Ryo Ishikawa (Japan) and Sung Hyun Kim (South Korea) are the two players who hold that record. Ryo Ishikawa is the biggest star in Japanese golf with 18 career JGTO victories and a world ranking of No. 29 in 2009. He is currently ranked 12th on the money list this season. Sung Hyun Kim is a PGA Tour rookie who made his way to the United States from South Korea and Japan. Since joining the PGA Tour for the 2022-2023 season, Kim has played in 32 events and has eight top-25 finishes.
The KPGA Tour’s main players include the “Young Gun Trio” of Lee Jae-kyung, Choi Seung-bin, and Chung Chan-min. Other ‘big names’ representing the KPGA, such as Kim Bi-Oh, Park Sang-hyun and Seo Yoseop, will also be on hand to challenge for the title of ‘Shinhan Donghae Open Winner’.
Star players from the Japan Tour will also be flying to Incheon. Keita Nakajima (JPN), the next big thing, and Riki Kawamoto (JPN), the JGTO’s top long hitter, will be there. Another player to watch out for is Song Young-han of tournament sponsor Shinhan Financial Group, who plays in the JGTO.
Miguel Tabuena (Philippines) will be the first Asian Tour jockey to win the title in four years after J.B. Kruger (South Africa) in 2019. The 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games individual silver medalist is currently second on the Asian Tour points list. The Asian Tour’s secret weapon is Tai Chi Ko (Hong Kong).
‘Professional’ amateurs Cho Woo-young and Jang Yubin will be competing as recommended players at the Shinhan Donghae Open. They will be joining Korean men’s golf standouts Lim Sung-jae and Kim Si-woo in the hunt for gold in the men’s golf event at the Asian Games, which begin on September 28. Shinhan Financial Group said in its nomination, “This is an opportunity for the two athletes to make final preparations for the Asian Games.”메이저사이트
Meanwhile, “Korean Express” Park Chan-ho, who holds the record for the most wins by an Asian player in Major League Baseball, will return to the KPGA’s regular tour after a year and three months on the organizers’ recommendation. All prize money from the tournament will be donated to the Park Chan-ho Scholarship Foundation charity fund, which will be used for scholarships to support up-and-coming players.