The 26th SK Telecom Open of the KPGA Tour, in which Korea’s top players such as ‘the pride of Korean golf’ Choi Kyung-ju and ‘long hitter’ Jeong Chan-min and Kim Bio, all go out, Jeju Pinx GC (par 71, 7326 yards) for four days from the 18th. ) opens at

This tournament is one of the symbolic tournaments of KPGA, which started with the 1st SK Telecom Classic in 1997 and has been held 25 times until last year, excluding 2020, which was canceled due to corona. With a total prize money of 1.3 billion won and a prize money of 260 million won, the winner is given a seed for four years and 1,200 genesis points.

Along with the competition of outstanding players to win, there are also many unique things to see.

▶Legendary Choi Gyeong-ju Participation = Choi Kyung-ju has had a long relationship with SK Telecom, and will participate in this tournament for the 21st time. Choi Kyung-joo, who won the tournament the most by winning three times in 2003, 2005 and 2008, also holds the record of passing the cut for 12 consecutive years from 2008 to 2019. It is no exaggeration to say that he is the face of the tournament, as in 2021 he served as co-executive chairman of the tournament.

▶ Kim Bio-Choi Jin-ho’s ‘3rd win’ challenge = Defending champion Kim Bio-and Choi Jin-ho, who won twice in their career, took on their 3rd challenge for the championship. Kim Bio, who won 9 wins in his career, won the championship in 2012 and last year, and Choi Jin-ho is the 2017 and 2019 champion.

“I’m nervous because I’m the defending champion, but I’m excited,” said Bio Kim. The goal is, of course, to win two consecutive tournaments.”

In addition, past champions such as 2009 champion Park Sang-hyun, 2016 champion Lee Sang-hee, 2018 champion Kwon Seong-yeol, and 2019 champion Ham Ham-woo also aimed for their second championship. Last year’s 먹튀검증Daesang Kim Young-soo, veteran Kang Gyeong-nam, and tour powerhouse Seo Yo-seop are also noteworthy.

Last year’s long hit king and this year’s Maekyung Open champion Jung Chan-min. [Provided by KPGA]

The defending champion and No. 1 player in the long hit category all year round, Bio Kim. [Provided by KPGA]

▶Exciting grouping with long hitter Big Bang = Last year’s long hitter Chan-min Jeong and this season’s long hitter Kim Bio will be in one group. Here, the legendary Choi Kyung-ju is with us. Group 27 starts the game from hole 1 (par 4) at 12:02 noon on the 18th.

Lee Tae-hee, who has 4 wins in total, Kim Min-hui, who won two gold medals in the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, and Song Min-hyeok, a fearsome amateur, are in the 28th group right behind. Last year’s Daesang Kim Young-soo, last year’s Genesis point runner-up Seo Yo-seop, and SK Telecom’s second-winner Choi Jin-ho were organized in Group 15. Moon Gyeong-jun, Ham Ham-woo, and Kim Min-gyu are in the 26th group.

▶The most difficult hole is the 10th hole = The 10th hole in Pinx was the easiest hole at 543 yards par 5 in 2021, but changed to 507 yards par 4 last year and turned into the most difficult hole. This year, like last year, I am curious about the strategy of the players.

▶Exotic attraction ‘AI Choi Kyung-ju’ = SK Telecom’s various AI-based technologies will be applied to provide a fresh experience through TV and mobile broadcasting. ‘AI Choi Gyeong-ju’, which has learned the photo and video information of Choi Kyung-ju, delivers various information including the competition course and players’ records to viewers on the relay screen.

Admission to the gallery is available from the first round to the final round, and souvenirs are presented on a first-come, first-served basis for each round, and prizes are also provided through a lottery for on-site galleries.