Joo-hyung made my heart warm again. That’s why he didn’t settle for the present and chose to challenge himself.”
Kim Min-kyu (22) is a rising star in the Korean men’s golf world. At the young age of 7, he picked up a golf club for the first time at the recommendation of his father who liked golf, and in 2014, when he was a freshman in middle school, he was selected for the national team standing army. got the nickname Last year, Ahn Seong-hyun, who was in the first year of middle school, held the record for the youngest national golf team before being selected as a national team member.
After confirming his potential, Minkyu Kim headed to Europe after graduating from his middle school. It was a challenge he left alone with his father, who was the most active supporter for his son who was dreaming of becoming a golf player. In a recent phone call with Munhwa Ilbo, Kim Min-gyu said, “I had a really hard time in Europe. Looking back at that time now, there are only memories that are so salty that I think, ‘How did I survive? So when the story of Europe and my father comes up, I get emotional without even realizing it.”
Minkyu Kim left for Europe in 2017 and spent about three and a half years in Europe before returning in early 2020. It was golf that made Kim Min-kyu endure even in difficult situations. In 2018, at the young age of 17 years and 64 days, it was thanks to steady achievements such as winning the youngest ever win at the European Professional Golf 2nd Tour D+D Real Czech Challenge.
However, the spread of Corona 19 prevented Kim Min-kyu’s European challenge. Kim Min-kyu said, “I came to Korea after Corona 19 broke out. He thought he would play in Korea until Corona 19 calmed down. When the situation improves, he was determined to take on an overseas challenge again,” he explained.
Kim Min-gyu surprisingly finished runner-up at the Gunsan CC Open in July 2020, the first Korea Professional Golf (KPGA) Tour event he participated in after returning. He also tied for second at the KPGA Open, where he competed afterwards. It was the moment when he clearly confirmed his potential once again. 2021 has had some ups and downs. Fortunately, he regained his top rankings as September passed. 2022 got off to a good start, reaching 5th place at the DB Insurance Pro-Me Open in April, which was his first competition. Kim Min-kyu, who had been consistently achieving high-ranking results, lifted his first KPGA Tour championship trophy awaited at the 64th Kolon Korea Open, his 9th tournament.
The moment when the feeling of the shot and the condition were at their peak, a crisis came. He got into a car accident on a rainy road ahead of the Asian Tour International Series in Jeju in August. Min-gyu Kim, who was driving at the time of the accident, injured his right wrist, which gripped his steering wheel. Due to problems such as inflammation and blood pooling in his wrist, he gave up participating in the tournament for a while and focused only on recovery for over a month. Kim Min-gyu said, “I always had ups and downs while playing golf, but last year I really liked my shot. (When the accident happened) The ball was hit well, and the prize money and the target point ranking were also good. No matter how many times I think about it, I regret it very much,” he said.
After wrapping up his third season in Korea, Minkyu Kim turned his attention to the overseas stage again. The decisive reason is his one-year-old younger brother Kim Joo-hyung (21), who played together on the KPGA tour. Kim Joo-hyung won four crowns, including the grand prize, the prize money king, and the lowest stroke award on the KPGA tour in the 2021 season, when Kim Min-gyu was stagnant. Then, he joined the American Professional Golf (PGA) Tour and stood tall as a promising player that the world pays attention to by winning consecutively. 메이저사이트
Kim Min-kyu did not envy the success of his younger brother Kim Joo-hyung, whom he played and practiced with on the KPGA tour. He said it was a rather good stimulant. Kim Min-gyu said, “It was my dream to play on the PGA Tour since I was young. (Kim) I knew Joo Hyung-yi was a great player even when he was in Korea, but seeing him doing well made me think that I shouldn’t be complacent either. His chest grew hot. So he is trying to challenge (on the overseas stage) again.”
Kim Min-gyu, who completed battery training in Thailand in preparation for the 2023 season, is participating in the Asian Tour Saudi International (total prize money of 5 million dollars), which opened in Saudi Arabia on the 2nd. This year, he planned to participate in as many tournaments as possible while simultaneously participating in the KPGA tour and the Asian tour. Kim Min-gyu said, “The goal is always to win. I want to do well on the Asian Tour,” he said. “I am not satisfied with the current situation. He said, “I want to become a golf player who continues to develop.”