Lee Dong-hwan, a South Korean golfer who recently finished first at the PGA Tour qualifying tournament in California, said Friday he has set a lofty goal for himself.

Returning home from the grueling, six-round event, Lee said he hopes someday to win the Masters, one of four major championships in golf.

“For next year, I’d like to keep my tour card (by finishing in the top-125 on the money list) and win a tournament, plus the Rookie of the Year award,” Lee told reporters in Incheon International Airport. “Then the following year, my goal is to win the Masters.”

At the qualifying tournament, commonly known as the Q-School, Lee shot a six-round score of 25-under 407 and became the first Asian to finish in sole possession of first.

In 1992, Masahiro Kuramoto of Japan tied four others at the top of the qualifying tournament.

Players at this year’s event alternated between two different courses: the 7,300-yard TPC Stadium Course and the 7,204-yard Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course, both at PGA West in La Quinta, California.

Lee looked back on his Q-School Friday and said he was glad just to be done with the event.

“I never expected that I would finish first even until the last hole,” Lee said. “I just tried my best to play my game.”

He said his earlier experience at his Q-School in 2007, when he ended up two strokes short of getting a full-time PGA Tour card, helped him a great deal this time.

“I learned how to control myself better,” Lee said. “My swing has gotten better and my conditioning has also improved.”

Lee cited his accurate distance control with his irons as his strength, and said he will need to get longer off the tee.

Lee said he averages about 285 yards with his driver. In 2012, the PGA Tour average was 289.1 yards, and Lee would have ranked around 145th place in the driving distance rankings.

“I would like to get longer, and also develop more ball flights,” Lee said. “These two things will be something I will keep working on over the next year.”

Lee had mostly played on the Japanese tour. He was the Rookie of the Year there in 2006 and has two Japanese wins to his credit.

“Playing in Japan has given me a huge stepping stone to grow as a golfer,” Lee said. “I have experienced so much there and have improved as a result of that.”

Lee said he will make his PGA Tour debut at the Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii, in the second week of January.

The South Korean contingent for next year will be: Choi Kyoung-ju, Yang Yong-eun, Noh Seung-yul, Bae Sang-moon, Lee Dong-hwan and Kim Si-woo, who became the youngest player to pass the Q-School this year at 17 years, five months and six days.

The Korean-Americans will be John Huh, the 2012 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, Charlie Wi, Kevin Na, Richard Lee and Park Jin. (Yonhap News)