“I hope Yuna will come running and be hugged by me after losing 3 times in a row. ”
American Professional Golf (PGA) Tour AT&G Byron Nelson (total prize money: $9.5 million) Lee Kyung-hoon (32), who is trying to win the championship for three consecutive years, had a video interview with Korean reporters after a practice round on the morning of the 10th.
Lee Kyung-hoon, who will be participating in the AT&T Byron Nelson, which opens on the 11th at TPC Craig Ranch (par 71.7414 yards) in McKinney, Texas, USA, has won all his two PGA Tour victories in this event. Lee Kyung-hoon is the first Korean player to win a single tournament for two consecutive years on the PGA Tour.
Having tied for 8th at the Wells Fargo Championship last week, he expressed his confidence through a relaxed look throughout the interview. He said, “I always feel at ease whenever I come here.” Compared to last year, I think I gained more confidence, so I feel good,” he smiled.
It is the first Korean player on the PGA Tour, and world-class players are also drawing attention from golf fans by challenging a rare three-game winning streak. Tom Watson, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, was the only player to win three consecutive victories in this tournament in 1980, and only three players in the last 40 years have won three consecutive victories in a single tournament: Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker (above USA), and Stuart Appleby (Australia). .
Lee Kyung-hoon said, “I can’t compare myself to players like that, but it’s an honor.” I am grateful for the opportunity to take on the challenge and try to compete,” he said calmly.
In this tournament, eight Korean players and the world’s top rankers will participate. When asked about a competitor to win, he said, “Everyone is a player who can win, so I never thought that any player would be a boundary.”
At TPC Craig Ranch, Lee Gyeong-hoon showed a particularly strong performance by winning 2 consecutive losses with a total of 25 under par and 26 under par in 8 rounds in a row for the past 2 years in the 60s. Regarding this, he said, “The payway is on the wide side, so I can hit the driver with confidence, so it seems to suit me well. The putt was good, so I was able to hit a lot of birdies.” “Mysteriously, when I stand at the tee box, I feel at ease. I don’t know if that’s compatible with the course, but I like wide fairways, and the fairways here are wide, so I can hit the driver with confidence, and the greens match well with me, so I can putt well.
” It was also said to fly. “I went through a practice round today, and every time I hit holes 10, 11, and 12, I remembered how I hit and where I putt,” he said. As I walked the same road today, I remembered how good it was at this time.”
In particular, he said that the 17th hole (par 3) of this tournament in 2021, which brought the joy of his first victory in the 80th competition since his debut on the PGA Tour, was the most memorable. At that time, at the 17th hole, he hit his tee shot 1m to the side of the hole, caught a birdie, and ran away by 3 strokes, putting a wedge in the game. He won the championship by beating Sam Burns (USA) by 3 strokes, and last year, he lost 2 consecutive times ahead of Jordan Spieth (USA) by one stroke.
Lee Kyung-hoon said, “The 17th hole is the most memorable. I made a birdie when I won the championship in the first year, and even in the crisis of the following year, the shot that I put close to 2021 was the most memorable.” I did a lot, but these days I have a good putt feeling, so I think it will help a lot.”
The 16th hole was designated as the most difficult hole. It’s not such a difficult hole if there’s a tailwind, but if there’s a headwind, it feels very long, the fairway is narrow, there are bunkers, and the green is very curved, so iron shots must be done very accurately. When there is a headwind, you should hit the second shot with a 4-iron or a hybrid.
During the interview, Lee Kyung-hoon, who revealed the aspect of a ‘daughter fool’, took a commemorative photo with his pregnant wife Yoo Ju-yeon during the championship the year before last and holding his daughter Yuna last year. “If I can win 3 games in a row, now that Yuna walks and runs well, I hope Yuna will run and hug me when I putt for the championship. Then I think I will be very happy,” he smiled.
As for what has changed since becoming a father, he said, “In the past, when the game didn’t go well, I felt very depressed and lost a lot of strength after the game. I wonder if my parents might have felt that way when they saw me, and these days I think that way.” 먹튀검증
Ahead of this tournament, I have recently been practicing with new coaches as well as existing coaches. “When I swing, I tend to sway to the right, so there are times when I lose consistency, so I am practicing a lot to keep my center well without being pushed while using my strength to improve the consistency of my swing.”
Regarding the goal of this season, “I have not yet won the championship, so I will try to continue the rest of the season with the goal of winning. If that championship comes this week, it will be great, and if we do not win, we will do our best to win the rest of the season.”
Meanwhile, Lee Kyung-hoon will start the first round with Scotty Scheffler (USA) and Jason Day (Australia) at 2:44 am (Korean time) on the 12th.