Thirteen KPGA Players, Including Ok Tae-hoon and Moon Do-yeob, Enter New Zealand Open

Ok Tae-hoon in action. [Photo=KPGA]

Thirteen players from the Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Tour, including Ok Tae-hoon and Moon Do-yeob, will compete in the 105th New Zealand Open, the Asian Tour's second event of the season, with a total purse of 2 million New Zealand dollars.

The tournament will be played Feb. 26 through March 1 (local time) at Millbrook Resort in Queenstown, New Zealand, using the Coronet Course (par 71) and the Remarkables Course (par 71).

Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Australian Tour, the event awards its winner a berth in July's major championship, The Open Championship. The best finish by a South Korean player is a runner-up by Eom Jae-woong in 2023.

The South Korean field includes Ok, Moon, Kim Hong-taek, Kim Bi-o, Heo In-hoe, Shin Sang-hoon, Kang Yun-seok, Hong Soon-sang, Lee Seong-ho, Kim Hak-hyeong, Lee Dong-min, Choi Chan and Luke Kwon.

Moon Do-yeob in action. [Photo=KPGA]

Ok said he expects a better result based on last year's experience, adding that the Open berth provides strong motivation. "I'll stay focused on every shot and do my best to win," he said.

Moon said he is excited to return to the event and use it to check improvements made during training. "My first goal is to make the cut," he said. "If things go well, I'd like to challenge for a top 10. I'll play calmly."

* This article has been translated by AI.

Kang Sang Heon ksh@ajunews.com