“The goal is to win”
Lee Jae-kyung, the Korean Tour’s points leader this season, has a strong desire to win the Shinhan Donghae Open.
The Shinhan Donghae Open, co-hosted by the Korean Tour and the Japan Professional Golf Tour (JGTO) Asian Tour, will be held at the Ocean Course at Club 72 Country Club in Incheon, South Korea, for four days starting on July 7.
The tournament, the oldest single-sponsored professional event in Korea, was founded in 1981 by Korean-Japanese golf enthusiasts to develop golf in Korea, foster player development and promote sports exchanges between Korea and Japan.
Since 2019, the tournament has been co-organized by the Korea-Japan-Asia Tour. This year’s tournament will feature 138 players from 17 countries.
Prior to the tournament, an official press conference was held at the Shinhan Bank headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul on May 5. Players representing their respective tours, including Lee Jae-kyung, Kim Sung-hyun, Nakajima Keita, Kawamoto Riki Taichiko, and others, attended the press conference and revealed their resolutions and goals for the tournament.
“My goal is to win,” said Lee Jae-kyung, who is leading the Korean Tour Genesis Grand Prize points this season.
“I’m looking forward to the Shinhan Donghae Open a lot. There are a lot of good players, so I want to learn a lot,” she said, adding, “I’m excited and looking forward to playing with overseas tour players because I’ve always wanted to play with them.”
“It’s the first major tournament of the second half of the year, and I’m number one in the Genesis Grand Prize points, so I think it’s most important from now on,” Lee said, “I will play my game step by step this week. My goal is to win.”
The tournament is co-organized by the Korean Tour, Japan Professional Golf Tour and Asian Tour, and the winner will receive three tour seeds. It is also a chance to go overseas.
“The Shinhan Donghae Open is something I’ve wanted to do well since I was a kid, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to win. It’s a tournament that everyone wants to win.” “If I win, I can get a seed for Japan and the Asian Tour, so it’s a meaningful tournament where I can fulfill my dreams,” Lee said.
Kim Sung-hyun, who plays on the PGA Tour, returned home from the United States to compete in the Shinhan Donghae Open, which is the title sponsor of the tournament. It will be his first tournament in South Korea in 14 months since the KPGA Championship last June.
“I couldn’t compete last year because I was sick with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19),” Kim said, adding, “Since it’s a sponsor tournament, I want to play hard and do well.”
“While playing, I only think about the process rather than winning,” he said, “If the process is good, the result will be good.”
Riki Kawamoto, the JGTO’s ‘long-hitting king’, at a press conference. /Photo= KPGA
JGTO’s ‘long-hitting king’ Riki Kawamoto will also be looking to capitalize on his strength, distance. Kawamoto leads the JGTO this season with a driving distance of 325.1 yards.
“I’ve been looking forward to this tournament since last year,” said Ricky, who began his greeting with a “hello” in Korean, “This is my first time competing in Korea. I will do my best to raise the excitement of the competition. I will also do my best to achieve good results.”스포츠토토
“I finished fifth at this tournament last year and fifth at the Hana Bank Invitational in June,” Ricky said, “I think it’s time for me to move up. I will make good use of my strength, distance, and challenge for the top.”
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