Awareness of re-entering the PGA Tour... I'll go over 160,000 kilometers a year... "Now, the best for my family"

Awareness of re-entering the PGA Tour... I'll go over 160,000 kilometers a year... "Now, the best for my family"

Blog Article

Kang Sung-hoon (37), who moved to the U.S. in 2011 and is active in the PGA Tour, traveled more than 160,000 kilometers around the world on a plane for a year last year.스포츠토토

He wanted to win the lost PGA Tour card. He participated in as many as 18 countries worldwide last year. He participated in as many as 40 tournaments. He went to any places in the U.S. where tournaments were held, including South America, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Would AP have paid attention to his journey? Kang Sung-hoon, who participated in the KPGA Tour SK Telecom Open, which ended on the 18th, said in an interview with Kookmin Ilbo, "Last year, AP contacted me to do an interview. I didn't know my travel distance was so great until AP informed me."

His journey this year is no different from that of last year. After finishing the PGA Tour's The CJ Cup Byron Nelson held at TPC Craig Ranch (par 71) in McKinney, Texas, the U.S., Kang moved to Turkiye, where the DP World Tour will be held. As soon as he finished the competition, he entered Korea to participate in the SK Telecom Open.

It is no different from the life of Nomad, a nomadic man who wanders long distances in search of grass to feed his livestock. For that reason, the modifier "Golf Nomad" was added in front of Kang Sung-hoon's name.

Kang, who joined the KPGA tour in 2007 as the gold medalist in men's team golf at the Doha Asian Games in 2006, won the AT&T Byron Nelson in 2019, living up to his fans' expectations. However, that was the end of his performance.

His sudden slump was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kang Sung-hoon said, "It was the best before COVID-19. I lost my touch while taking a few months off during COVID-19," and added, "Even if I tried to practice, the golf course was all closed, so I could only practice at home. On top of that, I think I tested too many clubs. Then I ended up with a bad shot."
Kang Sung-hoon won the championship in 2013. Courtesy of the organizing committee for the Korean Open

"I've completely changed my swing now. I'm getting better little by little," Kang said. "It's not as good as I expected yet, but I believe this will soon pass because it's getting better."

In order to find stability, he plans to reduce the journey of "Nomad" in the future. There is a reason. "These days, when a 6-year-old older kid watches golf on TV, he asks, 'Where is Dad?'" he said. "I want to confidently show my kids that my dad was a golfer later on."

"If golf has been for myself, I am determined to make more efforts for my wife and children from now on," he said. "What's fortunate is that golf is something you can do even when you're old, depending on what you do. I will do my best to become a father who is not ashamed of."

Kang's main activities these days are the Conferry Tour, the second wife of the PGA, and the DP World Tour. However, this does not mean that he lacks seeds for the PGA Tour. As a champion, he can participate in as many as 20 PGA Tour events a year. He already participated in four championships this year.

Kang Sung-hoon said, "The category I belong to can continue to increase the number of participations by ranking depending on the combined performance of the four tournaments," adding, "If I had performed well in one of the four tournaments this year, I could have had more opportunities by ranking, but it's a shame."

He is expected to make frequent appearances at this year's KPGA Tour tournament. This is because the KPGA Tour decided to use the "Overseas Tour Seeds Returnee" category seed. This seed is a system that gives qualifications to players who have been active on overseas tours for a certain period of time to play on the KPGA Tour for one year. Starting with SK Telecom, which ended on the 18th, Kang Sung-hoon is scheduled to participate in the Kolon Korea Open, the KPGA Championship, and the Baeksong Holdings-Asiad CC Busan Open, which will be held in early June.

"I don't know how many competitions I can participate in both the DP World Tour and the KPGA Tour," he said. "However, I plan to stay in Korea with my family until June. Of course, I will participate in competitions where I get a chance during that period."

Kang Sung-hoon's facial expression has become quite bright recently. There is a reason. "Technically, he has improved a lot now. I have now become clear what needs to be fixed," he said. "In terms of physical strength, this is the best time for me. There are still no cases where I feel sick or tired even when I travel long distances."

Nonetheless, the result was not satisfactory. Kang failed to make the cut at the SK Telecom Open. "We hit it off just three weeks ago," Kang said. Nevertheless, I think the poor performance is due to negative memories that have been in place for a long time due to the prolonged slump, he said. "Technically, it has been supplemented a lot, but I think there was a little lack of time to improve the mental sector. I plan to spend more time, so he will also get better soon."

Kang cited basketball legend Michael Jordan as an example. "When I ask Jordan, who shoots even in an impossible situation, he answers coolly, 'I did it during practice, so it's not that difficult,'" Kang said. "I feel the same way. I have completed some technical aspects of shots. However, if I devote more training time to hit repeatedly and have positive thoughts mentally, I think I will be able to regain my good self soon."

Kang lives in Dallas, Texas, a 30-40-minute drive from Choi Kyung-ju. For this reason, he makes frequent phone calls and sometimes practices with Choi. Of course, he is receiving a lot of advice.

He also has something to say to his juniors who dream of advancing to the PGA Tour.

"When I see my juniors, I feel that I have less spirit of challenge," Kang said. "I tend to settle for reality," adding, "In the meantime, (Lee) Seung-taek's challenge was quite impressive.