Seo Yo-seop aims to win for 3 consecutive weeks in Japan

Seo Yo-seop will aim for a win for three consecutive weeks for the first time in the history of the Korean Tour of the Korea Professional Golfers' Association.

Seo will defend his title in the Shinhan Donghae Open of the KPGA’s Korean Tour, which will open at Koma Country Club in Nara, Japan on Thursday. He earned his first win of the season in the Bodyfriend Phantom Rovo Gunsan CC Open, which ended on Aug. 28, followed by another win the week after that in the LX Championship, which ended on Sunday. If he wins the next tournament, it will be his first consecutive win in the fourth tournament in eight years and he will achieve the record of winning for three consecutive weeks. While there were golfers who achieved three consecutive wins on the Korean Tour, winning for three consecutive weeks is an unprecedented record.

Seo has nice shots. In particular, he had a ‘wire-to-wire’ win, which means he maintained the lead throughout all four rounds, in the LX Championship. “If I win, it will be a record that I can be proud of,” said Seo. “I earned my second win as both my performance and physical conditions were good and I did not let my guard down after the first win,” he said. “I will stay humble and only focus on how to perform in the next tournament.”

There can be some challenges ahead for the South Korean golfer. He is unfamiliar with the course in Japan. The host of the tournament, Shinhan Financial Group, is holding the competition at the Koma Country Club, which was built by its late founder and honorary president Lee Gun-hee, to mark the 40th anniversary of the group’s foundation. The club, which was designed by legendary South African golfer Gary Player and opened in 1980, is one of the best courses in Kansai, Japan and held the 2002 Japan PGA Championship and the 2019 Kansai Open of the Japan Golf Tour Organization. Seo flew to Japan on Monday to study the course.

Another challenge facing Seo on his way to his third win is that the Shinhan Donghae Open, which is tri-sanctioned by the Korean PGA, Japan Golf Tour, and Asian Tour, is attended by 40 golfers from each tour, including foreign players. He will compete with strong players of the Japan Golf Tour, including Kazuki Higa who is in the No. 1 position for prize money this season with two wins and Rikuya Hoshino. In addition, there are South Korean golfers who are more experienced with the Japan Tour, such as Kim Kyung-tae, Park Sang-hyun, Choi Ho-seong, Hwang, Jung-gon, and Lee Sang-hee. Kim Bi-o who is aiming for his third win of the season and Kim Si-woo who won three times on the PGA Tour and is ranked in 75th position in the world are also strong candidates for winning the tournament.


hun@donga.com