The Korean Tour is a men's professional golf tour run by the Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) of South Korea. In 2011, it had total prize money of about US$14 million.

History Professional golf in Korea dates back to the mid 20th century. The Korean Professional Golf Championship and the Korean Open were launched in 1958 and the KPGA was founded in 1963. Various other tournaments were created over the following decades.

The KPGA's tours serve as feeders for richer tours around the world. Substantial numbers of Korean golfers have played on the Asian Tour and the Japan Golf Tour, and a few have made it onto the PGA Tour or the European Tour. Notable examples include Yang Yong-eun, who was the first Korean to win a men's major golf championship, and K. J. Choi, the first Korean-born PGA Tour winner whose most notable win was the 2011 Players Championship.

In June 2004, the tour signed a title sponsorship agreement with Seoul Broadcasting System, being renamed as the SBS Korean Tour. The agreement was reported to be worth over five years.

In December 2022, it was announced by the European Tour that the KPGA had extended their partnership with them and the PGA Tour. As part of the expansion, the leading player on the Korean Tour Order of Merit was given status onto the European Tour for the following season. In 2023, the number of players earning European Tour cards was increased to three.

Main tour In 2011, there were 17 events on the main tour. All these tournament have prize funds of at least 300 million won (approximately US$300,000). Four have prize funds of 1 billion won (US$1 million) while the Ballantine's Championship has a prize fund of 2.2 million euros (approximately US$3.1 million). Total prize money for the tour is approximately 12 billion won (US$12 million).

Until 2011, regular Korean Tour events did not carry Official World Golf Ranking points. The first regular tournament to carry World Rankings Points was the 2011 Twayair Open. Korean Tour events carry a minimum of nine OWGR points for the winner, increased from six in 2016.

Other KPGA tours The KPGA launched a developmental tour in 1999. In 2007 there are two developmental tours. Both of them consist of two-day, 36-hole tournaments, and the dates of the tours do not clash. The Bear River Tour consists of ten tournaments with prize funds of 60 million won (US$60,000) each, and the SBS Golf Calloway Tour has eight tournaments with prize funds of 40 million won (US$40,000) each.

The KPGA also runs a senior tour and a series of events for teaching pros. The Korean Senior Open Golf Championship was launched in 1996.

Women's professional golf has a high profile in South Korea, due to the immense international success of Korean women golfers such as Pak Se-ri since the mid-1990s. There is a separate LPGA of Korea Tour for women.

Order of Merit winners SeasonWinnerPoints2025 Ok Tae-hoon 7,2042024 Jang Yu-bin 8,0022023 Ham Jeong-woo 6,0622022 Kim Yeong-su 5,9152021 Tom Kim 5,5412020 Kim Tae-hoon 3,2522019 Moon Kyong-jun 4,1262018 Lee Hyung-joon 4,6622017 Choi Jin-ho (2) 5,2462016 Choi Jin-ho 4,0092015 Lee Tae-hee 2,1902014 Kim Seung-hyuk 3,3622013 Ryu Hyun-woo 3,5552012 Lee Sang-hee 2,9952011 Hong Soon-sang 3,1602010 Kim Bi-o 3,7702009 Bae Sang-moon 4,7702008 Kim Hyung-sung 6,7652007 Kim Kyung-tae 6,320SeasonWinnerPrize money (₩)2006 Kang Kyung-nam 302,623,3332005 Choi Gwang-soo (4) 265,434,8252004 Jang Ik-jae 143,080,0002003 Shin Yong-jin 207,783,8102002 Kang Wook-soon (2) 204,166,6672001 Choi Gwang-soo (3) 157,959,8422000 Choi Gwang-soo (2) 270,094,3751999 Kang Wook-soon 79,898,3571998 Choi Gwang-soo 83,234,4701997 K. J. Choi (2) 159,063,6401996 K. J. Choi 147,271,7001995 Choi Sang-ho (9) 1994 Choi Sang-ho (8) 1993 Park Nam-sin (3) 1992 Choi Sang-ho (7) 1991 Choi Sang-ho (6) 1990 Lee Kang-sun 1989 Park Nam-sin (2) 1988 Park Nam-sin 1987 Choi Youn-soo 1986 Choi Sang-ho (5) 1985 Choi Sang-ho (4) 1984 Cho Ho-sang 1983 Choi Sang-ho (3) 1982 Han Chang-sang 1981 Choi Sang-ho (2) 1980 Kim Seung-hack (2) 1979 Kim Seung-hack 1978 Choi Sang-ho

Multiple winners RankPlayerWinsYears won1 Choi Sang-ho 9 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995T2 Choi Gwang-soo 4 1998, 2000, 2001, 2005 K. J. Choi 1996, 1997, 2002, 20034 Kang Wook-soon 3 1999, 2000, 2001T5 Choi Jin-ho 2 2016, 2017 Kim Seung-hack 1979, 1980 Park Nam-sin 1988, 1993 Yang Yong-eun 2004, 2006 Source:

Awards SeasonPlayer of the YearRookie of the Year2025 Ok Tae-hoon Sadom Kaewkanjana2024 Jang Yu-bin Song Min-hyuk2023 Ham Jeong-woo Park Sung-joon2022 Kim Yeong-su Bae Yong-jun2021 Tom Kim Kim Dong-eun2020 Kim Tae-hoon Won Joon Lee2019 Moon Kyong-jun Lee Jae-kyeong2018 Lee Hyung-joon Ham Jeong-woo2017 Choi Jin-ho (2) Chang Yi-keun2016 Choi Jin-ho Kim Tae-woo2015 Lee Tae-hee Lee Soo-min2014 Kim Seung-hyuk Park Il-hwan2013 Ryu Hyun-woo Song Young-han2012 Lee Sang-hee Kim Meen-whee2011 Hong Soon-sang John Huh2010 Kim Bi-o Kim Bi-o2009 Bae Sang-moon Kim Do-hoon2008 Kim Hyung-sung Kang Sung-hoon2007 Kim Kyung-tae Kim Kyung-tae2006 Yang Yong-eun (2) Choi Jin-ho2005 Hur Suk-ho Kang Kyung-nam2004 Yang Yong-eun Lee Jung-hoon2003 K. J. Choi (4) Kim Sang-ki2002 K. J. Choi (3) Kim Dae-sub2001 Kang Wook-soon (3) Kim Jong-myung2000 Kang Wook-soon (2) Suk Jong-yul1999 Kang Wook-soon Yang Yong-eun1998 Choi Gwang-soo Kim Seung-il1997 K. J. Choi (2) Mo Joong-kyung1996 K. J. Choi Lee Boo-young1995 Choi Sang-ho (9) K. J. Choi1994 Choi Sang-ho (8) Park No-seok1993 Park Nam-sin (2) Ha Young-ki1992 Choi Sang-ho (7) Han Young-keun1991 Choi Sang-ho (6) Lim Hyung-soo1990 Lee Kang-sun Lee Kang-sun1989 Bong Tae-ha Choi Gwang-soo Kim Jong-duck1988 Park Nam-sin Kwak Yu-hyun Park Nam-sin1987 Choi Youn-soo Cho Bum-soo Kim Sung-ho1986 Choi Sang-ho (5) No award1985 Choi Sang-ho (4) Cho Chul-sang1984 Choi Sang-ho (3) No award1983 Choi Sang-ho (2)1982 Han Chang-sang (2)1981 Choi Sang-ho1980 Kim Seung-hack1979 Han Chang-sang1978 Cho Tae-woon Cho Ho-sang Choi Sang-ho

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References

External links English-language version of official site Korean professionals Shin Yong Jin and Kim Dae Sub play at the Ballantine's Midnight Cup in Orkney, Scotland, stv feature, 19 June 2007.