'PGA Tour' player Bae Yong-jun to compete in 'The CJ Cup Byron Nelson'... "Aiming to finish in top 30"

*This content was translated by AI.

Bae Yong-jun (26, CJ), who has achieved a total of two wins in his career on the Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Tour, will compete in the PGA Tour's 'The CJ Cup Byron Nelson'.

Bae Yong-jun has been listed among the participants of 'The CJ Cup Byron Nelson' (total prize money: $10.3 million), which will be held from the 22nd to the 25th (Korean time) at TPC Craig Ranch (par 71, 7,385 yards) in McKinney, Texas, USA.

This marks Bae Yong-jun's third appearance in 'The CJ Cup'. He first competed in the event in 2019 as an amateur on Jeju Island, and after turning professional, he participated in the 2022 tournament held in South Carolina, USA.

Bae Yong-jun stated, "It is truly an honor to compete in the PGA Tour again, which I have always dreamed of. I have competed twice before, and I am more excited and looking forward to this year's participation. Although my shot and putting feel were not very good earlier this year, they have improved significantly recently. If I focus more on my play rather than the score and pay close attention to course strategy, I believe I can achieve good results."

Bae Yong-jun served as a national team player from 2018 to 2020 before joining the KPGA Tour as a professional in November 2020. Making his KPGA Tour debut in 2022, Bae Yong-jun claimed his first victory at the 'Honors K·Sollago CC Hanjang Sang Invitational' and received the 'Myeongchulsang (Rookie of the Year)' award. Last year, he won the 'KPGA Classic', securing his second career victory, with both wins coming in modified Stableford format tournaments.

He added, "As one of the few Korean players, competing against PGA Tour players will be a new experience. My top priority is to make the cut, and if I can perform well, I plan to aim for a top-30 finish."

Bae Yong-jun secured direct entry to the second stage of the PGA Tour Q-School by finishing fifth in the final Genesis Points standings, thanks to consistent top-10 finishes in five tournaments, including his 2023 KPGA Classic victory. At the second stage of the PGA Tour Q-School, he tied for 14th place, successfully earning a spot in the final stage. However, he finished tied for 85th in the final stage and narrowly missed advancing.

Meanwhile, 'The CJ Cup Byron Nelson' has attracted high expectations with six Korean players competing, including Bae Yong-jun, Kim Si-woo (31), Im Sung-jae (28), Lee Kyung-hoon (35, all CJ), Kim Ju-hyung (24, Nike), and Noh Seung-yeol (35, Zivert).

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*This content was translated by AI.