Published on June 19, 2024

After two forgettable seasons since winning the Kolon Korea Open in 2022 – the consequence of having to recover from a car crash, a few months after that memorable victory – Minkyu Kim returns to the event this week, here at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, with renewed hope after a much-needed, morale boosting win on the Korean PGA Tour three weeks ago.

The 23-year-old triumphed in the Descente Korea Munsingwear Matchplay for just his second win on home soil, beating Wooyoung Cho in the final – another young star, who was a member of the Korean team that won gold at last year’s Hangzhou Asian Games.

“I’ve been thirsty for a win, and I’m proud of myself,” said Kim this week.

“But I have a long way to go, so I’m going to take this as a moment of joy, a moment that I cherish, and move on. At the moment, my condition is different every week, so I’m trying to find a good feeling every week.”

2022 champion: Minkyu Kim.

He beat compatriot Mingyu Cho in a back-and-forth three-hole play-off at Woo Jeong Hills to win his national Open.

It was supposed to be the spark that lit the fuse on his career for a player who in 2018 made global headlines with victory in the D+D Real Czech Challenge to become the European Challenge Tour’s youngest winner at the age of 17.

However, just two months later, at the end of August, tragedy struck at the International Series Korea on Jeju Island when he was involved in a car crash. Details of the incident are scant as Kim is not keen to talk about it, but it took him two months to reach the point where he could play golf again.

He explains: “It was an unfortunate accident. I had to miss some tournaments to recover. In the 2023 season, I did have a few chances to win but I missed out. It has just been a very disappointing 2022 and 2023 for me.”

His form has been a far cry from when he won here two years ago. He holed a pressure-packed 10-foot birdie putt on the famous par-five 18^th here on the third play-off hole – the event has adopted a three-hole play-off like The Open as opposed to sudden-death – to overturn a two-shot deficit as Cho made bogey.

“I have so many good memories and feelings here,” said Kim, who tied for fourth place year despite his troubles.

“In that final round I made good putts in the last few holes to win the title, and the last putt on the 18th hole in the play-off was very memorable.

Hongteak Kim pictured winning the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May.

“Golf is a game that has good times and bad times, so I try to accept that and play it.”

A stellar field has once again entered the tournament, which is the 66^th staging of the event. Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, an hour outside of Seoul, has been its regular home since 2003 – when John Daly raised the trophy.

American Seungsu Han is back to defend the title he claimed by the commanding margin of six shots last year. Coincidentally, he won the KB Financial Liiv Championship on the Korean PGA Tour the week before Kim’s comeback victory.

Korean Hongtaek Kim, winner of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May, for what was the Asian Tour’s first visit of the year to Korea, is also here.

He said: “This week’s tournament is one of the tournaments that I want to win the most, like all Korean players. I’ve played well in the majors in Korea this year; I have not hit a bad shot.”

He beat Thailand’s Thailand’s Chonlatit Chuenboonngam in a sudden-death play-off to win the Maekyung event. A star on the golf simulator circuit on Korea’s GTour – his nickname is King of the Screen thanks to 12 wins – he drained a four-foot par putt on the first extra hole to claim one of Korea’s most coveted titles.

“I still can’t believe I won; I am still so happy and full of confidence,” he added.

Competitors will face conditions that mirror Major championships this week with the rough deep, the greens undulating and treacherous and the weather hot and steamy.

The reward though is also of major significance as the winner will have his name added to the illustrious list of past champions that includes Major winners, Korean Y.E. Yang, Fiji’s Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia from Spain and Americans Daly and Orville Moody – winner of the first three editions event, starting in 1958.

The Kolon Korea Open presented by ELORD is part of the Open Qualifying Series, meaning the leading two players, not otherwise exempt, will qualifying for this summer’s Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club, to be played from July 18-21.