He is 188cm tall and weighs 120kg, with a shaggy beard. Jung Chan-min (24, CJ), who won his first professional championship at the Korea Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour GS Caltex Maekyung Open, which ended on the 7th, was the image of a longevity in martial arts. The driver draped over his shoulder in front of the camera reminded me of the sword of the blue dragon and the moon in Guan Yu of the Three Kingdoms.
Jung Chan-min, whom we recently met at the Donga Media Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul, laughed, saying, “I thought about cutting my beard, but I can’t cut it now because there are many people who remember me because of my beard.” Jeong Chan-min, who is feeling his first professional victory as more people recognize his face, received special treatment at the Woori Financial Championship last week. The organizers put him in the same group for the first and second rounds with Lim Seong-jae (25), the star of Korean men’s golf, playing on the PGA Tour.
Jeong Chan-min said, “When I asked Seong-jae about the PGA Tour, he said, ‘There are only monsters who are good at all plays. Sungjae hyung’s play, which I haven’t seen in a while, was exactly like that.” Lim Seong-jae also said, “Since middle school, Chan-min has gone 30 yards farther than me (driving distance). If he only refines his accuracy a bit more, he will be able to be competitive even in the United States,” he praised. Jung Chan-min recorded a daily best (5 under par) in the final round of the Woori Financial Championship and tied for 7th place. Jung Chan-min will participate in the SK Telecom Open held at Pinx Golf Club in Seogwipo, Jeju for four days from the 18th.
Jung Chan-min’s main weapon is a long hit driver shot. Last year, his Korean Tour debut season, he was named first overall with an average driving distance of 317 yards (about 290 m). Early in the season, he is averaging 330 yards 스포츠토토(about 302 m) this year. He is a record that surpasses Rory McIlroy (328 yards), who ranks first in this category on the PGA Tour this season. The club head speed is 123 miles (about 198 km per hour) and the ball speed is 185 miles (about 298 km), which is also the top of the PGA Tour.
The nicknames such as ‘Korean Hulk’ and ‘Korean Monster’ were attached to Jung Chan-min because of his long-strength ability. Jeong Chan-min said, “Before he grew a beard, he said he looked like Bryson Dishambo (USA), but after growing a beard, he said he looked like Yon Ram (Spain).” I wish I could be called.” After winning the Maekyung Open, his world ranking jumped from 1012th to 548th, and he climbed to 504th in the top 10 at the Woori Financial Championship. Developing the ability to manage the short game also served as a driving force for the upward trend. Jeong Chan-min trained in Vietnam for two months until early February this year, and filled two-thirds of his daily training with short games. Thanks to this, shots within 100m and approaches around the green were stable.
Jung Chan-min is aiming to advance to the PGA Tour. Jeong Chan-min, who tied for 59th in the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament (Q School), the second part of the PGA Tour last year, missed the cut at the Korn Ferry Tour Astara Chile Classic last month and is unlikely to get another chance to participate. Jung Chan-min plans to challenge Q-School again this fall. By winning the Maekyung Open, he secured seed rights for five years on the Korean Tour and two years on the Asian Tour, giving him a variety of options. Jeong Chan-min said, “I want to show good performance on the overseas stage as a long hitter representing Korea,” and “My dream is to become Korea’s first Masters champion.”
I’m not going to rush. Jeong Chan-min entered the Korean Tour after three moves in the KPGA Srixon (Part 2) Tour, despite raising expectations with two consecutive victories at the Songam Cup Amateur Championship (2016, 2017). Jeong Chan-min said, “I can prepare step by step, but the thought of going up quickly seems to have poisoned me.” As he fills in the missing parts, the results will follow.”