10/22/24 10:39:00
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10/22 10:37 CDT Sung Kang needed a place to play golf and found opportunity on
3 tours in 18 countries: Analysis
Sung Kang needed a place to play golf and found opportunity on 3 tours in 18
countries: Analysis
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
Sung Kang didn't have the status to get in another full year on the PGA Tour,
so he looked elsewhere. He found the Bahamas and Bahrain. He went as far south
as Argentina, as far north as Denmark. He played at sea level and in the Alps.
He has learned plenty this year, such as this nugget for anyone curious.
"Singapore to Houston is really far," Kang said early Tuesday in South Korea,
the 18th country he has played in this year. He was dealing with jet lag from
the 6,400-mile (10,300-kilometer) flight to Seoul from the Andalucia Masters
along the southern coast of Spain.
Kang was referring to a trip in late March. He missed the cut in the Singapore
Classic on the European tour and flew to Texas the next day so he could arrive
in time for a Monday qualifier at the Houston Open. He shot 67 to get in and
then missed the cut.
Next stop: Savannah, Georgia, for a Korn Ferry Tour event.
Such are the lengths --- closing in on 100,000 miles (160,000 km) in the air
this year --- the 37-year-old Kang was willing to travel from his home in
Dallas just to keep playing, keep grinding, keep searching, all with hopes of
finding his game and a path back to full status on the PGA Tour.
It's a longer road than he imagined.
He is playing his 33rd tournament of the season this week in the Genesis
Championship in his native South Korea, his 14th start on the European tour. He
played 13 times on the Korn Ferry Tour and six times on the PGA Tour, either as
a Monday qualifier or a past champion from having won the Byron Nelson in 2019.
That doesn't include qualifying for the U.S. Open, which led to one of the
shorter commutes. Kang played a Korn Ferry Tour event in South Carolina the
week before going to Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina.
"I've never done anything like this," Kang said. "I've traveled more than I
have in my life. I've been to South America, to the Middle East. When I was on
the KPGA (Korea), it was more driving. When I came to the PGA Tour in 2011, it
was mostly in the U.S. But nowhere close to this. My main goal is get the tour
card back. I had no choice."
It was almost a year ago to the day when the European tour provided such an
option.
A strategic alliance allows for the leading 10 players from the European tour
(not already exempt) to get PGA Tour cards. In return, the European tour last
October offered membership to anyone on the PGA Tour who finished between No.
126 and No. 200 in the FedEx Cup.
Kang, who played 10 full seasons on the PGA Tour, had his worst year. He
finished at No. 193.
The caveat was no more than five players from this new category could play any
given week on the European tour if there was room for them. There weren't many
takers.
Jonas Blixt of Sweden, who finished at No. 197, took the offer and has played
exclusively on the European tour. The Genesis Championship in South Korea will
be his 23rd start on the Old World circuit this year. Dylan Frittelli (No. 160)
was another. He won in Bahrain in early February and has stayed mainly on the
European tour ever since.
For all the travel, Kang's game is not anywhere close to where he wants it. He
missed the cut in all but one of his Korn Ferry Tour starts. His only cut on
the PGA Tour was at the Byron Nelson. He made only five cuts on the European
tour --- Qatar, Prague, Denmark, Madrid and the Dunhill Links Championship in
Scotland.
He felt his short game carried him when he struggled with his iron game. Once
he finally started hitting it better, he felt he was out of practice on so many
15- to 20-foot putts. All the while, he had trouble patching together a series
of good scores.
"This year has been so weird," Kang said, making a statement that can cover a
lot of territory.
He has no regrets about the decision. Kang said the Korn Ferry Tour represents
a shift in the game from when he played that developmental circuit a decade
ago. The players are younger, longer, more athletic. The scoring typically was
so low he felt he should try his hand in Europe.
Neither has gone well, except for the scenery.
Kang had never been to Europe outside the U.K. His favorite city was Prague.
The most beautiful scenery was a train from Zurich to Crans Montana in
Switzerland. The biggest surprise? A week of gorgeous weather in Scotland
during the Dunhill.
The worst of it was time away, especially with three children --- a 6-year-old,
a 2 1/2-year-old and the youngest born five months ago.
"I'm missing them growing up," Kang said.
Perhaps that's one silver lining of poor results" He goes home whenever he
misses the cut and he's within 1,000 miles or so of Dallas.
All that, and his future remains just as uncertain.
He won't have that European option next year from having accrued only minimal
FedEx Cup points from the one cut he made on the PGA Tour.
"I have to find a place to play next year," Kang said. "There's no guarantee
how many I'll get in on the PGA Tour. I need some sort of backup. Hopefully, I
won't travel as much."
The travel has been tiring, but he says his energy level is fine on the golf
course. For now, he's not done trying. He has the Genesis Championship this
week, and his plan is another Monday qualifier on the PGA Tour in two weeks in
Mexico.
After a year like this, December probably can't get here soon enough.
Or maybe not.
"Q-school is the first week of December," he said.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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