Round Ok Tae-hoon with Ishikawa, the strongest star, was so good. Why are you fighting, Republic of Korea?
Sep 13, 2025
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The 41st Shinhan Donghae Open, which has been held at Jack Nicklaus GC Korea in Songdo, Incheon since the 11th, is not just a competition. It is a competition co-hosted by the KPGA Korean Tour, the Japan Tour (JGTO), and the Asian Tour, and many overseas strong players participate. It also has the characteristics of a national war. In particular, it is attracting attention as a match between Korean strong players and Japanese star professionals.
Ok Tae-hoon, the only multi-winner in the first half of the year, who ranks first in Genesis points and prize money, played in the first and second rounds with Japanese star Ryo Ishikawa. One of Japan's top stars with 20 wins in JGTO.
From the results alone, Ok Tae-hoon's decision win. Ok Tae-hoon was only 1 under par in the first round, but he scored 7 under par in the second round and was listed at the top at 8 under par. On the other hand, Ishikawa failed to make the cut in one over par.
Ok Tae-hoon said of his accompanying round with Ishikawa "I'm a player who loves it so much. Isn't it so cool. Before the first round started, I thought about getting an autograph after the round. But I held it in because I don't think that's right. It was an honor just to be in the round together."
Ok Tae-hoon said of Ishikawa's play, `First of all, I felt like I had such a good mentality. Even if he didn't play well, there was no change in his expression. He also had such a good personality." In fact, Ishikawa shouted "Nice" and "Good" whenever Ok Tae-hoon played well. Ok Tae-hoon was also impressed by the polite greeting to Ishikawa after the round. Ok Tae-hoon "Isn't he a more authoritative professional than anyone else. It was so nice" he said.
However, it is a matter of victory. As a Korean player, I naturally have the mindset that I should not lose out to Japanese players. Ryutaro Nagano, Daiki Yoshida, and Utah Sugiura were listed at the top. In Korea, Lee Sang-hee and Song Young-han, along with Ok Tae-hoon, will try to win the championship.
Ok Tae-hoon said, `All Korean players must be thinking the same thing. It's a problem because it doesn't go your way.(laughs) Same here, same for all the other professionals. He concluded the interview cheerfully by shouting, `Way to go, Republic of Korea.'
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
