When it comes to the PGA Tour Champions, where players over 50 years of age compete, the first word that comes to mind is ‘heaven’. This is because, unlike the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and LPGA Tour, there is no cut-off system. It is called the best tour among professional golfers as the minimum prize money is guaranteed just by participating.
Golf fans are very interested. In the United States, it is so popular that it has the second highest viewer rating after the PGA Tour. When asked about the PGA Tour Champions, Choi Kyung-ju said, “The PGA Tour Champions are a paradise for professional golfers. Many players call it the ATM Tour as they get paid when they participate in the tournament,” he explained.
However, this is not the case for all players. It’s like any other tour where you have to worry about survival every year, except for the virtually permanent seeded players like Kyung-Joo Choi, Bernhard Langer (Germany), Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker (above USA), and Ernie Els (South Africa).
It’s not easy for a player who didn’t stand out on the PGA Tour before age 50 to make it to the PGA Tour Champions. This is because there are only five players who receive the right to participate through the qualifying tournament. It’s too early to be relieved just because you’ve passed through the narrow gate. Every year, if you do not put your name within the 36th place in Charles Schwab points, you lose the right to participate in the next season, so some players say, “The PGA Tour Champions is a stage that is harder to survive than the PGA Tour.”
Yang Yong-eun, who spent her first season at the PGA Tour Champions last year, said, “For players with permanent qualifications, the expression heaven is perfect. However, it is a battleground for me who has to worry about the right to participate every year,” he said. “I really envy players with permanent seeds. Like other tours, winning one does not guarantee two-year participation, so it seems that the race of death is taking place every year.”
It is not easy to rank in the top 36 in Charles Schwab points as veteran players who have gone through all the battles are gathered. As Langer, Furyk, and Stricker boast unchanging skills, the new PGA Tour Champions are having a hard time surviving. Yang Yong-eun said, “The youngest player is 50 years old, but most of the players with good grades are in their mid-50s. I don’t think I can hit well just because I’m young,” he said. He smiled and said, “I need to win several times here and get a permanent berth so I can feel like I’m in heaven like other players.”
How is the atmosphere at the PGA Tour Champions field? Choi Kyung-ju and Yang Yong-eun said, “As we have met and played together at least once on the PGA Tour, we share memories together. Once the story starts, it is hard to stop,” he said in unison, saying, “Most players pour everything in when they compete and seem to have a good time at clubhouses and restaurants.”
The players who run through the PGA Tour Champions have one thing in common. Spending more time in the gym than on the driving range. The reason is simple. This is because weight training and stretching are essential to spend a season without injury. Yang Yong-eun said, “Even though the amount of practice has decreased, the time spent in the gym has more than doubled. I heard that Langer almost lives in the gym.” “Exercise is not an option, it is a must. It is really important to get enough rest as the recovery rate is slower than when you were young.”토스카지노
There are also some juniors of Choi Kyung-ju and Yang Yong-eun who want to challenge the race of death. The representative player is Choi Ho-seong, who is famous for ‘Fisherman’s Swing’. Choi Ho-seong, who is playing on the Korean Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour at the age of 49 this year, will be qualified to play for the PGA Tour Champions next year. Choi Ho-seong said, “If I am in my current condition, I am thinking of challenging the PGA Tour Champions. He heard that the tour is fiercely competitive and difficult to survive, but he has the desire to try it at least once.” I think I need to prepare thoroughly in order to pass through the eye of the needle called the qualifying tournament and survive the race of death.”