Kim Kyung-tae earns 1st win in JGTO after overcoming initial slump

Kim Kyung-tae earns 1st win in JGTO after overcoming initial slump. April. 19, 2016 07:34. by 김종석기자 kjs0123@donga.com. Kim Kyung-tae, who turned to 30 this year, acquired two gold medals at the Doha Asian Games in 2006, when he was 22 years old and a sophomore at Yonsei University. For this feat, he earned the nickname "Monster of the Field" at that time as well.

A period of more than 10 years has passed since, but he remains atop. Kim won his first title of the season after playing the third playoff round at the Token Homemate Cup of the Japanese Golf Tour Organization, which ended on Sunday, and has risen to the top in purse rankings.

Kim, who rose to the top place in total prize money by winning five JGTO titles last year, said on Monday, “I had many worries because my performances in initial days of the season were lackluster. The latest event provides a turning point to allow me to regain confidence.”

Kim took part in four championships that took place in Singapore, Myanmar, Malaysia and the U.S. through March, but failed to make the cut, and only ranked 24th place when he performed the best. “I could not have adequate training during year’s end last year because I had too many schedules. I had many leftward pulling shots (in those events).” In the past, Kim would participate in more competitions and pushed himself harder to improve his performance, whenever he sensed signs of a slump. However, things were different this time around. “I could have participated in a European Tour championship, but I took a rest for a month in Korea and focused on recovering my physical and mental condition. I came to learn how to take a longer perspective, rather than feeling impatient.

Kim, who has learned the wisdom of taking his time, said he was successful by playing tee-shots with 3-Wood, almost completely avoiding using the driver, amid bad weather conditions with gusty winds throughout the tournament this time. By banking on his precision short games and putting, he was able to overcome the conditions of the green, full of sharp curves, which he would often think were not compatible with his style.

When a reporter commented his donation amounting to 10 percent of the purse money from the championship to victims of the Kumamoto earthquake, Kim said, “All the players did the same. The mood is so bad that the party on the eve of the Panasonic Open’s Pro-am competition this week has been urgently cancelled. We are trying to find ways to help victims with senior Korean colleagues including Jang Ik-je and Heo Seok-ho.”