Wang Jung-hoon wins first KPGA title at Hyundai Marine Choi Kyung-ju Invitational
In short
Wang Jung-hoon won the KPGA Tour's Hyundai Marine Choi Kyung-ju Invitational, which ended on 4 October at Ferrum Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, finishing 10 under par on 278 strokes to beat Kim Hong-taek by three shots for his first KPGA Tour victory. The tournament was in its 11th year, with a total purse of 1.25 billion won and 250 million won for the winner. Sponsor Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance said it took over the event in 2016 when it faced cancellation for lack of a backer, and this year dropped the pro-am and opened its training centre as lodging for players and caddies.
Read the full story 2 min read
Wang Jung-hoon won the KPGA Tour's Hyundai Marine Choi Kyung-ju Invitational, which ended on 4 October at Ferrum Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, Yonhap reported. He closed at 10 under par, 278 strokes, three strokes ahead of Kim Hong-taek, who finished on 7 under, 281. Yonhap said it was Wang's first victory on the KPGA Tour and noted he has three DP World Tour wins. Chosun Ilbo's summary also reported the win as Wang's first KPGA Tour title, describing it as the result of a long slump. [ 1 , 2 ]
The 2026 event carried a total purse of 1.25 billion won, with 250 million won for the winner, according to Yonhap. The tournament was in its 11th year and is the fifth longest-running on the KPGA Tour, with cumulative prize money of 11.5 billion won. The purse began at 500 million won in 2016, rose to 750 million won in 2017 and to 1 billion won from 2018, and has stood at 1.25 billion won since 2022. [ 1 ]
A Hyundai Marine official said chairman Chung Mong-yun learned in 2016 that the tournament hosted by Choi Kyung-ju could not be held because it had no sponsor, and that the company's sponsorship began abruptly at that point. The same official said the event had established itself over 11 years as a “tournament for players” representing the KPGA Tour. Yonhap reported that this year's edition removed the pro-am to give players more practice time, that Hyundai Marine's training centre was opened as lodging for players and caddies because accommodation near Ferrum Club is limited, and that the company pays players' entry fees and provides meals to players, caddies and their families. [ 1 ]
Chosun Ilbo's summary, published the day after the final round, focused on the same player-support measures, quoting an unattributed remark that such a tournament had never been experienced. It did not name the speaker, and neither document says whether the sponsor intends to continue the event beyond this edition. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The story concerns a domestic professional golf tournament and the insurer that has funded it for 11 years, so its interest is largely limited to followers of Korean golf. The documents present the event's player-support measures — no pro-am, free lodging and meals, entry fees paid — as unusual for the tour, but that framing comes from the sponsor and from one outlet, not from independent assessment. Hyundai Marine's continued sponsorship is the reason the event has reached a fifth-place run of longevity on the KPGA Tour, according to Yonhap.
Key facts
- Wang Jung-hoon won the Hyundai Marine Choi Kyung-ju Invitational at Ferrum Club in Yeoju with a 10-under total of 278, three strokes ahead of Kim Hong-taek on 281. [ 1 ]
- The win was Wang's first on the KPGA Tour; Yonhap said he has three DP World Tour victories, and Chosun Ilbo described three career wins including the 2016 European Tour rookie of the year award. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The 2026 tournament had a total purse of 1.25 billion won, with 250 million won for the winner. [ 1 ]
- The event was in its 11th year, is the fifth longest-running on the KPGA Tour and has paid out 11.5 billion won in cumulative prize money, Yonhap reported. [ 1 ]
- Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance began sponsoring the tournament in 2016 at the decision of chairman Chung Mong-yun, after it faced being cancelled for lack of a sponsor, a company official said. [ 1 ]
- The purse rose from 500 million won in 2016 to 750 million won in 2017, 1 billion won from 2018 and 1.25 billion won from 2022, according to Yonhap. [ 1 ]
- This year the organisers removed the pro-am to give players more practice time, opened Hyundai Marine's training centre as lodging for players and caddies, paid players' entry fees and provided meals to players, caddies and their families. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Who made the remark quoted as “I have never experienced a tournament like this.” The Chosun Ilbo feed summary carries the quotation but does not name the speaker or say whether it was a player, caddie or official.
- Whether Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance will continue to sponsor the tournament after the 11th edition. Neither document says anything about the sponsor's future plans beyond the current edition.
- How the tournament field was made up, including the number of players and any other notable finishers beyond the top two. Only the winner and runner-up are named in the documents.