JGTO, KPGA elites set for another epic duel at Hana Bank Invitational

A highly anticipated duel looms as elite players from the JGTO and KPGA go head-to-head in the Hana Bank Invitational for the second consecutive year, with South Korea hosting the prestigious event this year.

The ₩1.3 billion (approx. ¥140 million) tournament, jointly sanctioned by two of Asia's renowned tours, will be staged at the Nam Chun Cheon Country Club in Gangwon.

The tournament marks the eighth and tenth legs on the JGTO and KPGA schedules respectively.

Last year's edition in Japan saw South Korea's Yang Ji-ho prevail in a thrilling contest at Chiba Isumi Golf Club, narrowly edging out Keita Nakajima for victory by a single shot.

Despite bogeying late on the 16th, Yang showed nerves of steel to birdie the final two holes, closing with a 67 and finishing on 20-under-par 272.

It was Yang's breakthrough on the JGTO, earning him a prized two-year exemption to compete in Japan's flagship circuit, a privilege he would exercise for the remainder of the season.

Although he initially struggled in Japan, Yang eventually proved his mettle by not missing a single cut in his last seven appearances of the season.

He even contended for his second win, tying for the opening round lead at the Casio Open before ultimately finishing tied for fifth.

Yang has yet to impress this season, both in Korea and Japan, and he will be seeking to turn things around with a successful title defence on his home soil.

The tournament will once again bring together a field of 144 players, with 60 of them being members of the JGTO, all competing for the lucrative winner's prize of ₩260 million (approximately ¥28 million) and a two-year exemption on both tours.

Newly-minted BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship Mori Building Cup champion Hiroshi Iwata and Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open winner Ryosuke Kinoshita will spearhead the JGTO's charge alongside other top performers of the current season, Ren Yonezawa, Yuta Sugiura, and Takahiro Hataji.

They seek to make amends for last year's title loss despite a strong presence on the leaderboard, where eight out of the top 11 players were Japanese.

The KPGA contingent boasts all their current top 10 players on the Genesis Point Ranking, including the leading trio of Kim Hong-taek, Lee Jung-hwan, and Kim Min-kyu.

The Hana Bank Invitational traces its roots back to the Korea-China KEB Invitational, which saw six editions held from 2008 to 2010, alternating between South Korea and China twice a year.

Following a seven-year hiatus, the tournament was revived in 2018 with the backing of Hana Bank, extending invitations to players from Japan and China. Nevertheless, it remained exclusively hosted in South Korea.

The JGTO and KPGA are also co-sanctioning the Shinhan Donghae Open, scheduled for September, along with the Asian Tour..