The 28th KPGA Senior Championship (300 million won in total prize money, 48 million won in prize money), the most prestigious competition of the KPGA Champions Tour, a stage for eternal active players, will be held at Solo CC Solo Course (par 72/6955 yards) in Taean, Chungcheongnam-do for three days from the 3rd to the 5th.
The competition will be broadcast live from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. for the first and second rounds and from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. for the final rounds through SBS Golf 2, the organizing agency of the KPGA. It will breathe for a total of 12 hours for three days.
"Defending champion" Park No-seok tries to defend the title
The biggest point to watch at the "28th KPGA Senior Championship" is whether "defending champion" Park No-seok (57, KM Pharmaceutical, KLCNS) will defend the title.
If Park Noh-seok lifts the trophy at the main competition, he will become a player who has succeeded in defending the title at the KPGA Senior Championship for the first time in two years. The most recent player who won the KPGA Senior Championship for two consecutive years was Kim Jong-deok (63), who won the championship in 2021 and 2022.
He will also become the third player to win the KPGA Senior Championship for two consecutive years. Choi Yoon-soo (76), who won the 1998-1999 championship and the 2001-2004 championship, and Kim Jong-deok, who was mentioned earlier, are the only two players who have defended their titles at the KPGA Senior Championship.
"I am well aware that winning a championship is not something I can say I want to do. As we have always done, if we focus on the games as best we can in every round, good results will come naturally," Park said.
Park Sung-pil, No. 1 in prize money rankings, will try to win three games in the season and surpass 100 million won in prize money for the first time in a season
Park Seong-pil (53, Sangmu Sushi) is aiming for his third win in this season at the 28th KPGA Senior Championship. Park won the KPGA Legendary Classic Series 1 and the KPGA Legendary Classic Series 2, and has two wins right now.
Park has participated in six competitions this season and entered the top five four times, including two wins. In the KPGA Legendary Classic Series 3, which was right before the competition, Park tied for 14th place.
Park Sung-pil will surpass 100 million won in prize money for the first time in the KPGA Champions Tour with three wins in the season at the main tournament.
No player in the KPGA Champions Tour has earned more than 100 million won (865,052 U.S. dollars) in prize money in a single season. The highest prize money in a single season of the KPGA Champions Tour is 85,644,297 won by Mo Joong-kyung, who earned three wins in the 2023 season.
Park Sung-pil has 15.505,797 won in the record and 29,861,500 won in cumulative prize money for the first time in the tour's history.
Lee Young-ki, the winner of the previous competition, tries to win two consecutive competitions
Lee Young-ki (57), who debuted on the KPGA Champions Tour in 2017 and won four KPGA Champions Tour titles in "KPGA Legend Classic Series 3," will try to win two consecutive KPGA Senior Championships.
Lee Young-ki has succeeded in passing the cut in all competitions, including the victory of the "KPGA Legend Classic Series 3" this season, ranking fourth in the integrated points and prize money rankings.
The most recent two consecutive championships are Mo Joong-kyung, who won the "KPGA Champions Tour 1st" and the "13th Grand CC Cup KPGA Senior Golf Tour" in 2023.
In addition, Seok Jong-yul (55), Choi Ho-sung (51, Geumgang House), and Mo Joong-kyung are also on the list of participants and will challenge for their second win of the season at the main competition.
The record of the most wins is 6 times..."Five wins" Kim Jong-deok, will he set a tie for the most wins?
At the 28th KPGA Senior Championship, Kim Jong-deok will try to set a tie for the most wins ever. Currently, the KPGA Senior Championship has six wins. Choi Yoon-soo (76) won the title six times between 1998-1999 and 2001-2004.
Kim won the 2013 and 2016, 2019 and 2021-2022 competitions. If Kim wins the main competition, he will set the record for the most wins ever.
"I am strong at 'big competitions'," Kim said. "Confidence is important in all sports as well as golf. I will play with confidence that I can do it."
The Grand Senior Division will also be held at the same venue's Lago Course...
The 25th KPGA Grand Senior Championship, a grand senior competition involving players aged 60 or older, will also take place at the Lagos Course (par 72, 6,317 yards) at the same venue from May 4 to May 5. The total prize money is 70 million won.
The list of participants includes Kim Jung-guk (66, U.S.), the winner of the grand senior category of the "KPGA Legend Classic Series 3," Lee Kang-sun (72), who has won 11 titles (8 on the KPGA Tour, 3 in the KPGA Champions Tour Grand Senior category), Cho Cheol-sang (66), who won the KPGA Tour's only Bogey-free title, and Choi Yoon-soo, who has won 59 titles (11 on the KPGA Tour, 26 on the KPGA Champions Tour, 19 on the grand senior category of the KPGA Champions Tour, and 3 on the overseas senior tour. 무료슬롯사이트
The "28th KPGA Senior Championship" and the "25th KPGA Grand Senior Championship" are open to galleries during the tournament and are free.