The Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Tour gave senior players a "special gift" for the second consecutive year.
The KPGA presented participating players with a framed photo each following the second round of the KPGA Champions Tour Senior Championship, held Monday at Solago CC in Taean-gun, South Chungcheong Province. The photos captured images of the players and their caddies.
At Champions Tour events, which are open to players aged 50 and older, players typically use the golf course's in-house caddies on a shared basis. However, just once a year during the Senior Championship, players compete with their own "personal caddies." This is because the tournament is the major event of the Champions Tour. Players usually bring family members, acquaintances, or former students as caddies.
Taking note of this, the KPGA presented photos of the players and their caddies for the first time last year. Players welcomed the gesture, saying, "We have made unforgettable memories."
This year, the event grew even larger. Players in the Grand Senior Championship, the stage for those aged 60 and older, said, "We want photos too." The KPGA responded and created precious memories for the Grand Senior players as well.
Kim Hyung-min, who competed in the Senior Championship that day, received a photo taken with his caddie Ko Seok-won after the second round. The two share a teacher-student relationship and also teamed up at this tournament last year.
"Seok-won is a student I taught starting in his high school days. I am glad to share precious memories with him," Kim Hyung-min said. "Last year Seok-won took the photo home, so this year I get to take it."
Ko Seok-won said, "When I first started golf, my family was not well off, and at that time Pro Kim was a grateful person who taught me without even taking any lesson fees." When asked whether he then carries the bag for free, he laughed and said, "Thankfully, he always gives me a caddie fee."
