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Kevin Yu has secured his PGA Tour card for next season. Photo: AFP

Korn Ferry Tour: Kevin Yu earns right to join game’s best, as 5 Asian golfers seal PGA Tour status

  • Yu finishes in 20th position on regular season points list despite missing cut at Pinnacle Bank Championship
  • China’s Carl Yuan and Marty Dou, as well as Korean pair Byeong Hun An and Seonghyeon Kim also secure spots on elite circuit
PGA Tour

Kevin Yu missed the cut and still made history at the final Korn Ferry Tour event of the regular season this weekend, the Pinnacle Bank Championship.

The Taiwanese professional became just the second golfer from the self-ruled island to secure a PGA Tour card through the second-tier competition, and helped set a record in the process as one of five Asian golfers to earn spots on the elite circuit.

It was the perfect birthday gift for Yu, who turned 23 last week. Despite missing the halfway cut, he finished in 20th position on the points list to join China’s Carl Yuan and Marty Dou Zecheng, and Korean duo Byeong Hun An and Seonghyeon Kim among the Top-25 who move on to play against the likes of Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Will Zalatoris.

“It’s amazing, it’s a dream come true to me,” Yu said. “I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was five years old and since I just started to play golf. Now it’s a dream come true and I’m looking forward to next season.”

This is the first time a total of five Asian golfers have emerged from the Korn Ferry Tour’s regular season graduating class.

Yuan concluded his campaign as No 1 and the Dalian native is now looking forward to his first stint on the main tour. He is the third mainland Chinese golfer after Dou and Xinjun Zhang, both in 2018, to hold a Tour card.

Carl Yuan chips on to the 15th green during the final round of the Pinnacle Bank Championship. Photo: AFP

“It’s going to be a new experience,” Yuan said. “New courses, new challenges … maybe pair up with some big names, learn from them.”

He is under no illusion the road ahead will be challenging. Becoming the first mainland Chinese winner on the PGA Tour and breaking into the world’s top-30 are some of his long-term goals.

“I hope I could have a PGA Tour title within five years, and be in world top-30 too,” Yuan said. “Many objectives are waiting for me. The PGA Tour is a new platform, and I may need some time to get adapted. The golf courses will be more difficult and I may find a caddie who is more familiar with Tour courses. I think I have an advantage on the long game, but I need to improve my short game.”

Dou is getting a second crack at the big leagues, and said he felt better prepared this time than he was four years ago.

“It feels real now,” he said. “The first year I got there, I kind of felt I wasn’t ready. But it’s been three years now from that time, and I do feel like all parts of my game are set for the big Tour.”

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