DPRK Amateur Golf Open

The DPRK Amateur Golf Open
Tournament information
Location North Korea
Established 2011
Course(s) Pyongyang Golf Complex
Par 72 in 2013
Month played July
Current champion
Nobuaki Kasahara (Japan)

The DPRK Golf Open is an annual amateur event which takes place in Pyongyang. It was launched in 2011 at North Korea's only open golf course.

The Open is a 36-hole tournament with format varying each year.

History

North Korea currently has two golf courses, one of them the currently out of use course at Mount Kumgang and the other, the Pyongyang Golf Complex situated 27 km from Pyongyang city.

The Pyongyang Golf Complex was designed and built in 1987 by a Japanese company. The course is mainly played by diplomatic staff.

In 2004, Koryo Tours hosted the Pyongyang Friendship Golf Tournament. It was a 9 hole event played by 8 competitors.[1]

In January 2011, North Korea announced that they would host the first ever fully fledged 18 hole international affair. In conjunction with UK travel agency Lupine Travel the DPRK Golf Open was launched.[2]

The first event took place over just one day in April 2011, The tournament was played in Callaway format.[3]

In 2012 the tournament took place over 3 days with both Callaway and Stableford formats used.[4]

The 2013 event took place from May 25-27 over 3 days in Strokeplay format.[5][6]

The 2014 event took place from July 27-28 over 2 days in Strokeplay format.[7]

Winners

2014 DPRK Amateur Open Championship || Nobuaki Kasahara ||  Japan || hcp 14

2013 DPRK Amateur Open Championship || Peter Clark ||  New Zealand || hcp 22

2012 DPRK Amateur Open Championship || Simon Jones ||  England || hcp 22

2011 DPRK Amateur Open Championship || Olli Lehtonen ||  Finland || hcp 1.1

Records

The lowest gross score shot during the tournament is 81 by Nobuaki Kasahara in 2014. It is claimed by North Korean officials that Kim Jong Il shot a course record of 33 during his first ever game of golf in 1992. This has yet to be confirmed by a credible source. [8]

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "2004 event". Golf Digest.
  2. ↑ "2011 tournament launch". Daily Mail (London). January 13, 2011.
  3. ↑ Shears, Richard (May 31, 2011). "2011 tournament report". Daily Mail (London).
  4. ↑ "2012 tournament report". Time Magazine. June 6, 2012.
  5. ↑ "2013 tournament winner". New Zealand Herald. June 1, 2013.
  6. ↑ "North Korean Golf Open 2013". Jackson Fu. May 29, 2013.
  7. ↑ "2014 tournament winner". North Korean Open official website. August 5, 2014.
  8. ↑ Longman, Jeré (December 20, 2011). "Kim Jong Il golf record". NY Times.

External links