Yang Yong-eun, Rory McIlroy set to tee off at Korea Open


The reigning U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy and former PGA Championship winner Yang Yong-eun will headline the field this week at the Korea Open, organizers said Tuesday.

The 54th edition of the South Korean national golf tournament will be held from Thursday to Sunday at the par-71 Woojeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, about 90 kilometers south of Seoul. The winner will take home 300 million won ($254,000).

McIlroy, the 22-year-old from Northern Ireland, fired a 16-under to win this year’s U.S. Open by eight shots, setting the record for the lowest score in relation to par at the annual U.S. national championship. He finished tied for third at the 2009 Korea Open and this will be his first appearance here since.

Yang, who famously beat then-world No. 1 Tiger Woods to win the 2009 PGA Championship, is the defending Korea Open winner. Last year, he overcame a 10-shot final round deficit to claim his second title.

Other marquee names this week include Rickie Fowler, the 2010 PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year, also known for his colorful outfit, and South Korean Noh Seung-yul, last year’s top money winner on the Asian Tour. Noh blew his final round lead against Yang last year and will look to rebound from the disappointment.

Among others, Hong Soon-sang and Park Sang-hyun, currently second and third on the Korean Tour money list, will duel for local bragging rights.

Notorious for long, thick roughs along the fairways, Woojeong Hills will play at 7,225 yards this year, 12 yards longer than a year ago. 

(Yonhap News)