Hong-Taek Kim, the ultimate ‘hybrid golfer’
The momentum of the ‘crown prince of screen golf’ Kim Hong-taek (31-Volvik) has begun to stir the tour field beyond the screen.
Kim Hong-taek (31, Volvik) finished tied for second (14-under 270), three strokes behind Jeon Ga-ram (17-under 267), at the 67th KPGA Championship, Korea’s oldest professional golf tournament, held at A-one CC in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, on Sept. 9, and moved into a tie for the season’s grand prize and money list. He retained the top spot on the money list ($460.55 million), which he has held since winning the GS Caltex Mae Kyung Open last month, and added 710.67 Genesis Points to his tally to take the Grand Prize lead for the first time (2,751).
“When I looked at the website yesterday, I saw that I had moved up to first place in the Grand Prize points,” Kim said in a phone interview on Tuesday. “I was so happy to see something I’ve never seen before in my professional career,” he said. “I was very disappointed that I didn’t make some crucial putts in the second half,” he said, “but I was very satisfied with my first runner-up finish in a major organized by the KPGA.”
Kim’s meteoric rise has been one that no one saw coming this year. After making his KPGA Tour debut in 2017 and finishing 23rd on the money list ($163.21 million) with one win that year (the Dong-A Membership Group Dynamic Busan Open), he hasn’t won a tournament since then and has never cracked the top 40 on the money list.
Instead, he has made a name for himself on the ScreenGolf G Tour, which launched in 2013, where he is the most successful player with 13 victories. Some have criticized the tour player for being too focused on the screen, but his screen experience has made him more competitive offline.
“The experience of strategizing and dealing with the nerves while competing for a win was just like the real tour,” he says, “and it confirmed that the stronger swings I’ve been taking on my YouTube channel to improve my 바카라 distance, or to increase my distance to win on the G-Tour, work in the real world.” He’s now a long hitter, averaging around 306 yards per drive for the first time in two years.
Another turning point was the “armlock putter” he switched to late last year. The arm-lock putter, which anchors the shaft to his left forearm, has dramatically improved his putt success rate, which had been a weakness. “Winning so quickly in my debut was a bad thing that I didn’t develop properly after that. It made me greedy, and when things didn’t go my way, I stressed too much over things that are not so important now. But I think the difference now is that I’ve gained experience and have the ability to bounce back from the same situation.”
His explosive popularity on the G-Tour and YouTube is evidenced by the growing 실시간 바카라사이트 gallery that follows him on tour. “I felt like I was playing in the championship group,” said Kim, who drew a huge crowd of fans during the final round on Sept. 9.
He’s looking forward to his next victory. “It took me longer than I thought to win my second title, but I’m trying to catch the next one when I feel good,” said Kim, who has his sights set on the Korean Open, the national title event in two weeks. “It would be great to win the title and qualify for The Open,” he said, “and since I have this opportunity, which doesn’t come around often, I want to win the season’s grand prize, which is coveted by everyone.