luke kwon pga tour china win

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From oklahoma to china, kwon perseveres to keep dream alive.

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It’s impossible to lose if you don’t give up.

Luke Kwon was 30,000 feet in the air, nearly on top of the world, but he couldn’t help feeling like he had just hit rock bottom as he typed the short, nine-word sentence on a flight back home.

After missing out on advancing through the first stage of Korn Ferry Tour Q-School in 2016, Kwon, who moved from South Korea to the U.S. at age 2, saw his one shot at getting a work visa – and remaining in the U.S. with his family – slip away.

His back was against the wall. But he had been there before.

Kwon dreamed of playing Division I golf, but in 2011 ended up enrolling at Division II St. Edward’s in Austin. The transition to college was tough for Kwon. He struggled in the classroom, often felt homesick and suffered a fractured hand his first semester.

“I thought I was done,” Kwon said.

But in his second semester, Kwon improved his grades, got healthy and turned his game around. He recorded six top-10s, including a win at the St. Edward’s Individual Challenge, and led the conference in scoring average (73.2) to earn All-American status as a freshman.

The stellar play caught the attention of Oklahoma, which had recruited Kwon as a junior player but eventually ran out of space for him. After one year at St. Edward’s, Kwon transferred to the Sooners program.

Upon arriving in Norman, Kwon was already behind the 8-ball. The Sooners had a stacked, deep squad that included players such as Abraham Ancer and Michael Gellerman. Ancer will play the Presidents Cup this year, while Gellerman also plays on the PGA Tour.

To make matters worse, maturity issues began to arise for Kwon, who often wouldn’t wake up in time for workouts, practice or class. Oklahoma head coach Ryan Hybl nearly kicked him off the team – and would have had Kwon not been the “glue guy” for the Sooners.

Hybl gave Kwon an ultimatum: No practice for two weeks. Kwon’s only job was to wake up at 6 a.m. to meet with the weight-training staff. Miss one, and he was gone.

“I knew then that’s when it meant that much to him because he never whiffed,” Hybl said. “He earned my respect knowing that it was his job at that point, that was his only job was to wake up.”

Kwon redshirted the following season and began to crack the lineup during his redshirt-junior year. As a senior, he played in 13 events, earning six top-20s and five top-10s, including his first career DI win at the Puerto Rico Individual Classic.

In addition, Kwon helped the Sooners reach match play for the first time at the 2016 NCAA Championship (Oklahoma has now advanced to NCAA match play in four straight years, including in 2017 when the Sooners won the NCAA title at Rich Harvest Farms). Oklahoma fell to Texas in the quarterfinals, with Kwon earning the only victory, 4 and 3, over current PGA Tour player Scottie Scheffler.

Meanwhile, Kwon’s dependency on his parents’ work visa was beginning to run out. At 21, he was on his own. For the past 13 years, Kwon was waiting on a green card and never got it, so he was forced to switch to a temporary student visa.

After graduation and with no playing privileges anywhere, Kwon reached a crossroads: give up golf and get an office job in the U.S. or go overseas and play professionally in China. While he mulled the decision, Kwon worked as a forecaddie in Dallas, which allowed him to continue to practice while making money. But that didn’t last long.

“I was just spinning my wheels trying to make rent every month and I was soon going to have to leave my family,” Kwon said. “I felt like someone else that didn’t know me was telling me to quit. But I had two huge problems: I didn’t have the money to fund my journey and my visa status in the U.S. was running out, so my time was very limited.”

With his visa set to expire, he finally made the difficult decision. He packed his bags, headed to the other side of the world and tried to make a living in China.

“Back up against the wall, that’s Kwon’s thing,” said Kwon’s former college roommate, Max McGreevy, who also roomed with Kwon in China and earned his KFT card this year.

Kwon played three times on the PGA Tour China Series at the end of 2018 and gained full status for the 2019 season. But the transition overseas wasn’t easy on Kwon.

“China definitely had its struggles, but that just comes with the territory when traveling,” Kwon said. “I started the year with a lot of food poisoning over and over, so I was legitimately scared of eating there. McDonald’s was my ol’ trusty, though. We probably went to McDonald’s more this year than I have my whole life.”

The on-course struggles were no joke, either.

“China’s style of golf courses are a little different than what we’re used to in the U.S. It’s so much more penalizing off the tee,” Kwon said. “A lot of holes where it’s driver off the box and there’s bushes left and right that aren’t marked as hazards.

“There was one hole in China Q-School that I backed off multiple times because I was just so scared of the tee shot. But I definitely learned to block out the negatives and trust in your ability and rip it like you would on the range.”

Once Kwon adjusted to his new – and hopefully temporary – life in China, things began to fall his way again, just as they did in Austin and Norman. Kwon recorded six top-10s, none sweeter than a victory at the Qinhuangdao Championship.

“It means a lot to me,” Kwon said. “I waited a long time to finally come out on top since writing that note. I just think, ‘OK, yeah, maybe I have worked hard,’ but I think one of the biggest reasons why I’m here today is because I just simply outlasted other people.”

Kwon finished fifth on the tour’s Order of Merit, which McGreevy won, and will head back to the U.S. with conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2020.

“Nothing in my life was pointing towards me playing golf and yet I moved to a different country, went to China and got top 5 on the Order of Merit,” Kwon said. “It would’ve been totally acceptable to throw in the towel and find something else with what I was faced with.

“But I didn’t, and I think that’s a big part of why I am where I am today.”

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Cool Kwon ices his first tour victory

Late birdies after double bogey nail down Qinhuangdao Championship

Luke Kwon knows how to adjust, on and off the golf course.

The 26-year-old American, who was born in Seoul, South Korea, triumphed in the Qinhuangdao Championship on Sunday－his first win in his eighth tournament on the PGA Tour Series-China.

Kwon's penchant for quickly adapting to new environments no doubt contributes to his cool demeanor on the course.

He currently resides in Auckland, New Zealand, where he also lived from the ages of 2-8. He then relocated to Dallas, Texas, before moving on to the University of Oklahoma, where he played alongside current tour player Max McGreevy and Charlie Saxon, the tour's all-time money leader.

On Sunday at Qinhuangdao Poly Golf Club in Qinhuangdao, Hebei province, Kwon overcame a double bogey on the 16th by closing with back-to-back birdies to hold off Canada's Myles Creighton and finish at 68 to secure a one-stroke victory.

"I really needed that birdie on 17. It was huge. I was feeling a bit down and was looking at a long putt from around 30 feet, but it went in," said Kwon, who is also an avid videographer with more than 11,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel.

"My putting was good all week, and thankfully it saved me again today. I made some clutch putts at the end."

American Matthew Negri, who was playing in the final group with Creighton and Chinese Taipei's Wang Wei-hsuan, carded a 70 to share third place with Thailand's Suteepat Prateeptienchai.

Wang started the day at the top of the leaderboard but dropped to solo fifth after a 72 in the final round.

Playing in the penultimate group, Kwon, who moved to fourth on the order of merit, started the day four shots off the lead but quickly made up ground by going 8-under through his first 13 holes.

After a bogey on 14, Kwon still held a one-shot lead before the double bogey on 16 dropped him one shot behind Creighton.

With two holes left, Kwon drained a 30-footer for birdie on 17, then birdied from seven feet on 18 while Creighton was finishing with five straight pars.

"I'm really excited and happy that it's over," said Kwon, who made his PGA Tour Series-China debut at the Macao Championship late last year.

"I was feeling the nerves coming down the stretch, but I couldn't be happier with my finish. This win really means a lot to me.

"Being compared to Charlie (Saxon) is a tall task, but I wouldn't mind copying him. He's a good friend, and we played together a lot in college. He's done really well here in China so hopefully I can catch him one day."

Creighton, who finished tied for ninth last week in Beijing, was disappointed to not get the win, especially after watching his 20-foot birdie attempt on 17 lip out of the cup.

"That was one of the best putts I hit all week and it never looked like it was going to miss, but it ended up catching the high side and lipped out. There's not much more I can do than that," said the Canadian.

"It was nice to prove to myself today that I can go out and shoot a good final round. Last week I was two back and I ended up shooting two over in the last round, so I wanted to have a better showing this time. I'm happy with how I played today."

China's Zhang Huilin had a strong finish, closing with a bogey-free final round of 65 to finish in a tie for sixth, the best of any player from the Chinese mainland.

In 46 career tournaments, Zhang has 14 top-10s, including two victories.

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The popular YouTube group “Good Good” will not be the same as of Wednesday, April 3, after one of its most popular members, Luke Kwon, said goodbye to the channel. This puts an end to weeks of speculation about the possible departure of the professional player.

The group posted a video on Wednesday titled “Our last match with Luke Kwon,” in which Kwon himself makes the following statements:

“This is going to be my last video [with Good Good], just kind of going on my own way and kind of taking a bit of myself and see what I can do.”

Luke Kwon also made sure to clarify that there was no animosity towards the group behind his decision.

Hours later, Luke Kwon posted another video on his own channel titled “The Real Reason I Left Good Good,” in which he does not offer any new arguments for his decision. On the contrary, he reinforces the idea that he wants to get back on track by creating solo content:

 “I just wanted to take a bet on myself and kind of go back to doing stuff solo,” he said.

Good Good is a very popular YouTube channel dedicated to golf that currently has nearly 1.5 million subscribers and now consists of Garrett Clark, Matt Scharff, Stephen Castaneda and Tom Broders. Prior to Luke Kwon, two other popular influencers – Grant Horvat and Micah Morris – left the group.

Who is Luke Kwon?

Luke Kwon is a South Korean-born YouTuber and professional golfer. Kwon moved to the United States to pursue his passion for golf, thanks to a scholarship to the University of Oklahoma. During his time there, he excelled as a key player on the men’s golf team, where his impressive performance earned him a spot on the professional circuit.

Kwon began his professional career playing on PGA Tour circuits in China and Latin America, demonstrating his skill and dedication at every tournament. He even earned a victory, the 2019 Qinhuangdao Championship. His tenacity and skill have earned him status on the Korn Ferry Tour.

In addition to his golf career, Kwon has shown a keen interest in sharing his experience and knowledge through digital platforms. He has become a content creator on YouTube, with over 234,000 subscribers, where he posts instructional videos and updates on his golfing experiences, inspiring a new generation of golfers.

Despite facing challenges such as a golf cart accident that required a period of recovery, Kwon has shown admirable resilience. His determination to return to the game and continue to improve is a testament to his character and passion for golf.

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Julio is a journalist specialized in golf. He covers the news of all the circuits of this sport, always looking for the story behind it. He has a passion for golf history and statistics. His favorite players are Nelly Korda and Scottie Scheffler.

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Kwon Earns First Win on PGA TOUR Series-China

May 20, 2019 | Men's Golf

By: Athletics Communications

NORMAN -- Luke Kwon overcame a double bogey on hole No. 16 then closed with back-to-back birdies, which was enough to hold off Canada's Myles Creighton and secure a one-stroke victory at the Qinhuangdao Championship on Sunday.

Playing in the penultimate group, the 26-year-old Kwon, who moved to fourth on the Order of Merit, started the day four shots off the lead but quickly found himself among the leaders after going 8-under through his 13 holes at Qinhuangdao Poly Golf Club. From there it was neck and neck until the end.

After a bogey on hole 14, Kwon still held a one-shot lead before the double bogey on 16 dropped him one shot behind Creighton. With two holes left to play, Kwon drained a 30-footer for birdie on the 17th before sinking another birdie putt from seven feet on the final hole. Meanwhile, Creighton was finishing with five straight pars.

“I really needed that birdie on 17. It was huge. I was feeling a bit down and was looking at a long putt from around 30 feet, and it went in,” said Kwon. “My putting had been good all week, and thankfully it saved me again today, and I made some clutch putts at the end.”

It makes sense that Kwon is playing in China, seeing that he has no trouble fitting in in any part of the world. Kwon was born in Seoul, South Korea, and currently resides in Auckland, New Zealand, where he also lived from the age of 2-8. He then moved to Dallas, Texas before deciding to play golf at the University of Oklahoma, where he played alongside current Tour player Max McGreevy and Charlie Saxon, the Tour's all-time leader in money earned.

Kwon made his PGA TOUR Series-China debut late in 2018, at the Macau Championship, and is now a Tour winner in just his eighth event, only three wins behind Saxon's four career titles.

“I'm really excited and happy to be off the golf course. I was feeling the nerves coming down the stretch, but I couldn't be happier with the finish and this win really means a lot to me,” said Kwon, who was modest when being compared to Saxon. “That's a tall task, but I wouldn't mind copying him. He's a good friend, and we played together a lot in college and he's done really well out here so hopefully I can catch him one day.”

Story provided by the PGA TOUR-China Series

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PGA Tour and LIV Golf get to final week before the Masters

Jordan Spieth hits from the rough on the fifth hole during the second round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament Friday, March 22, 2024, at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts to a missed putt on the second greenduring the final round of The Players Championship golf tournament Sunday, March 17, 2024, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

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VALERO TEXAS OPEN

Site: San Antonio.

Course: TPC San Antonio (Oaks). Yardage: 7,438. Par: 72.

Prize money: $9.2 million. Winner’s share: $1.656 million.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 1-3:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3:30-6 p.m. (NBC); Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); 2:30-6 p.m. (NBC).

Defending champion: Corey Conners.

FedEx Cup leader: Scottie Scheffler.

Last week: Stephan Jaeger won the Houston Open.

Notes: The winner of the Texas Open earns the final spot in the Masters. ... The field features 30 players who already are exempt for the Masters. ... Corey Conners has won two of the last four times at the Texas Open. ... Past champions Kevin Chappell (2017) and Jimmy Walker (2015) have received sponsor exemptions. ... Rory McIlroy is in the field, giving him eight starts before the Masters. ... Jordan Spieth is playing after missing the cut in his last two tournaments, The Players Championship and Valspar Championship. ... Ryo Hisatsune and Eric Cole are among the Masters newcomers who are playing the week before Augusta National. ... The tournament has not been decided by a playoff since 2009. ... Ludvig Aberg, who played college golf at Texas Tech, is in the field. He is No. 9 in the world. The Masters will be his first major. ... European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is playing on a sponsor exemption.

Next week: The Masters.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/

LIV GOLF MIAMI

Site: Doral, Florida.

Course: Trump National Doral. Yardage: 7,701. Par: 72.

Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $4 million.

Television: Friday, 1-6 p.m. (CW app); Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (The CW Network).

Defending champion: New event.

Points leader: Joaquin Niemann.

Last tournament: Abraham Ancer won LIV Golf Hong Kong.

Notes: LIV Golf has 13 players who will be in the Masters next week, seven of them past champions. That includes Jon Rahm, the defending Masters champion. ... Anthony Kim plays his first tournament in the United States since May 2012 when he withdrew after one round at Quail Hollow. ... Joaquin Niemann has won two of the four LIV events this year. ... Rahm has finished in the top 8 at all four LIV events in his debut season. His best finish is third place in the season opener at Mayakoba. ... The Blue Monster at Doral previously hosted a PGA Tour event for more than 50 years. ... Dustin Johnson won at a World Golf Championships event at Doral in 2015. He has one win on LIV this year in Las Vegas. ... The other 41 players not in the Masters do not have another LIV event for three weeks in Australia. ... Doral previously hosted the LIV team championship the past two years.

Next tournament: LIV Golf Adelaide on April 26-28.

Online: https://www.livgolf.com/

T-MOBILE MATCH PLAY

Site: North Las Vegas, Nevada.

Course: Shadow Creek GC. Yardage: 6,804. Par: 72.

Prize money: $2 million. Winner’s share: $300,000.

Television: Wednesday, 4:30-7:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Thursday-Friday, 7-9 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 6-9 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Pajaree Anannarukarn.

Race to CME Globe leader: Nelly Korda.

Last week: Nelly Korda won the Ford Championship.

Notes: Nelly Korda is the first player since 2012 to get three LPGA wins before April. She will try to become the first player since Lorena Ochoa in 2008 to win four straight starts. ... The Match Play has changed the format this year to feature a 96-player field facing three days of stroke play starting on Wednesday. The field is cut to the top 65 and ties after two rounds, and the top eight cumulative scores after Friday advance to single-elimination match play. ... This is the final event of a Western swing, and the last LPGA event before its first major championship of the year. ... Shadow Creek is among the elite clubs in Las Vegas. It has hosted a made-for-TV match, along with the CJ Cup on the PGA Tour that was moved from South Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic. ... The Match Play was sandwiched last year between two events in New Jersey and drew a week field. This year it has Korda, Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson and Rose Zhang, four of the top names on tour.

Next tournament: Chevron Championship on April 18-21.

Online: https://www.lpga.com/

KORN FERRY TOUR

CLUB CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

Site: Savannah, Georgia.

Course: The Landings Golf & Athletic Club (Deer Creek). Yardage: 7,185. Par: 72.

Prize money: $1 million. Winner’s share: $180,000.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 3:30-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Sunday, 2:30-6 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Previous winner: David Skinns.

Points leader: Mason Andersen.

Last tournament: Taylor Dickson won the Astara Chile Classic.

Next tournament: Lecom Suncoast Classic.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour

EUROPEAN TOUR

Last week: Keita Nakajima won the Hero Indian Open.

Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.

Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

Last week: Retief Goosen won The Galleri Classic.

Next tournament: Invited Celebrity Classic on April 19-21.

Points leader: Steven Alker.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions

OTHER TOURS

Augusta National: Augusta National Women’s Amateur, Champions Retreat and Augusta National GC, Augusta, Georgia. Previous winner: Rose Zhang. Television: Wednesday-Thursday, 1:30-3:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, noon-3 p.m. (NBC). Online: https://www.anwagolf.com/

Ladies European Tour: Australian Women’s Classic, Bonville Golf Resort, Bonville, Australia. Defending champion: Meghan MacLaren. Online: https://ladieseuropeantour.com/

Sunshine Tour: Limpopo Championship, Euphoria Golf & Lifestyle Estate, Mookgophong, South Africa. Defending champion: Ryan Van Velzen. Online: https://sunshinetour.com/

Japan LPGA: Fujifilm Studio Alice Ladies Open, Ishizaka GC, Saitama, Japan. Defending champion: Miyuu Yamashita. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/

Korea LPGA: Doosan E&C We’ve Championship, Teddy Valley Golf Resort, Jeju, South Korea. Defending champion: Yewon Lee. Online: https://klpga.co.kr/

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf