Huh Suk-ho Wins Two Consecutive Victories on Japan PGA Tour

Huh Suk-ho (32, Nongshim) made history by being the first Korean athlete to win the Japan Golf Tour (JGTO) season’s first major championship, the 73rd Japan PGA Tour (total prize money 110 million yen), for two consecutive years.

He accomplished this in the final four rounds held on May 15 at the Tamana Country Club (par 72) in Japan’s Kumamoto province.

As the sole leader by two strokes the previous day, Huh Suk-ho scored five birdies and two bogies, resulting in three under-pars, a total 69 strokes on this day, and a final total of 16 under par, 272 strokes. Since the tournament started in 1926, this is the first time there has been a consecutive winner of this event in 21 years since Nakajima Tsuneyuki did in 1984.

Consequently, Huh Suk-ho, with his total of four victories on the JGTO, has notched the first victory of the season among all male and female Korean athletes playing overseas in the American and Japanese pro golf tours. He took home 22 million yen (about 220 million won) in prize money and has leaped up to second place (27.51 million yen) in this season’s prize money standings.

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com