A weekly European tour across borders and continents... KIM MINGYU, "So I feel like I'm taking on a new challenge"
A weekly European tour across borders and continents... KIM MINGYU, "So I feel like I'm taking on a new challenge"
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Kim Min-kyu (24), the rising star of Korean golf, will participate in the DP World Tour Porsche Singapore Classic (total prize money of 2.5 million dollars) held at Laguna National Golf Resort Club (par 72, 7,420 yards) in Singapore for four days from Tuesday. The competition, which marks its third anniversary in 2023, was held under the name of "Singapore Classic" in its first year, and changed its name to Porsche Singapore Classic as Porsche sponsored the title from last year. Wang Jeong-hoon tied for third at the first competition in 2023.
The DP World Tour is an old European tour and covers all over the world including Europe, Asia, and Africa. Some of the competitions are co-hosted by the U.S. PGA Tour. Kim Min-gyu, who entered the DP World Tour this year, is participating in the eighth event of this season. His best performance was tied for eighth at the Qatar Masters. The DP World Tour, which started its 2025 season in November last year, has played 13 competitions (including one Team Cup event) in Australia and other countries including the United Arab Emirates. Noh Seung-yeol, who is active in the U.S., and Park Sang-hyun, a veteran of the Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA), also participated in the event.
Kim has a unique experience in European tours when he was a junior. Kim, who was selected as the youngest player to play for the amateur national team in 2015 when he was 14, moved to Europe after graduating from junior high school and improved his skills in the second and third parts of the tour. He followed his father's advice that if he is planning to advance to the world stage, he should leave as early as possible.
In 2018, he became the youngest player (17 years and 64 days) to win the second-division European tour. As the European tour was suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, he remained in Europe until he returned home in 2020.
"When I started playing in the European 3rd tier after finishing junior high school, I felt like I didn't know anything about it. Sometimes I just slept in the car and participated in competitions. I didn't know it was that hard because my father did all the hard work for me. I think he must have been really tired," he said.
The European stage is back in five years. It's hard to cross borders and continents in every competition, but it always gives new charm. "I feel new to my childhood commitment to play on the world stage," Kim said. "My goal is to develop in every competition by competing with European tour players who show steady performance in any environment."
Kim secured the DP World Tour (formerly European Tour) card by displaying outstanding performance in the KPGA Tour last year. He participated in 22 competitions and won two championships (Descent Korea Match Play, Kolon Korea Open), ranking second in Genesis points (6051.96 points), second in prize money (990,659,9009 won) and third in average pars (70.0562). The top spot in Genesis points will be given a ticket to the final round of the PGA Tour qualifying school, and the second spot will be given a DP World Tour card. Jang Yoo-bin, who ranked first in Genesis points last year, chose LIV Golf.
It was regrettable, but Kim also had the good fortune to have a strong sponsor called Chong Kun Dang. "Kim Min-gyu, the professional golfer who represents the KPGA, is a top star and has a strong spirit of challenge to advance to the DP World Tour beyond Korea," said Kim Ho-gon, CEO of Chong Kun Dang Health. According to the explanation, the sponsorship was decided in good harmony with Chong Kun Dang's spirit of challenge to develop global new drugs as a domestic player. Chong Kun Dang is reportedly planning to contribute to vitalizing the golf industry with the sponsorship of Kim Min-gyu. 토토사이트
Earlier, many players challenged themselves to the European stage, but they continued to face difficult challenges. Ahn consistently showed off his performance in the European tour, thereby making his way to the U.S. PGA Tour. Wang left a strong impression by winning three games. Kim Min-gyu said that it is a great help to younger players mentally. "Ahn Byung-hoon pro helps a lot, invisible to younger players. I received a lot of help from him through field training at his home in the U.S.A. I want to go to the PGA Tour like Ahn Byung-hoon pro. I think a lot of advice made me who I am today. Wang also greeted me when I participated in the D-Open last year. I try to learn how to behave and how to manage my courses."
What skills did Kim Min-gyu experience the European Tour players? "European tour players are good at playing with features. There are many things I need to learn from my perspective, such as how to overcome the wind, creative trouble shots, and patience to stay calm under any circumstances. In particular, it is fascinating to see and learn how to creatively solve short games. I am watching and learning a lot." "I study and train with the idea that I need to have the ability to beat European tour players in everything including nutrition, conditioning, training, and mental skills," Kim said.