The whirling spin, the waist bending 90 degrees as if he might topple over at any moment — it was all still there. At times, the motion looked even bigger. This is Choi Ho-sung, known for his "fisherman swing."
Choi Ho-sung, met at the venue of the 30th Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Senior Championship held at Solago CC in Taean-gun, South Chungcheong Province, on Sunday, was as cheerful as ever. Asked whether his face looked more relaxed, he said, "Maybe it's because I'm playing golf without stress." "When I was on the first-tier tour, I had to worry about making the cut every time, but the senior stage has no cut, so my mind is really at ease."
The cut is nothing short of a "death sentence" for professional golfers. Those who fail to make the cut do not receive a single won in prize money. The stress of making the cut weighs on players every week. The reason rankings often fluctuate in the third round is that players who feel unburdened after making the cut attack the course more aggressively. However, senior tournaments (Champions Tour), in which players aged 50 and older compete, are mostly played over two rounds, so there is no cut. Choi Ho-sung moved his stage of activity to the senior tour starting in 2024.
What about income? Choi Ho-sung said, "The prize money is smaller compared to the first-tier tour, but thanks to relatively less competition, it's not a bad level if you work hard." Playing about 25 tournaments a year across the Korean and Japanese senior stages, Choi Ho-sung earned about 306 million won in prize money in 2024 and about 180 million won in 2025.
Choi Ho-sung also said he hopes Korea's senior tour becomes more active. This year, the KPGA Senior Tour has 11 tournaments scheduled. That is half the level of Japan, which holds around 20 tournaments a year. "Quite a few spectators come to Japanese senior tournaments. In my case too, seven or eight fans always come and cheer, shouting 'Tora-san.' The practice environment is good, too." "Tora" is the Japanese pronunciation of the character for tiger (虎), the middle character in Choi Ho-sung's name. Choi Ho-sung marks his ball by writing the character "虎" on it.
Choi Ho-sung, who returned to Korea early last month, plans to stay until early August and then focus on the Japanese stage in the second half of the year. Recording nine career wins in total — combining his active career (5 wins) and the senior stage (4 wins) — Choi Ho-sung said, "My goal is to reach 10 wins this year. I've usually performed well in the second half, so I have high hopes."
Choi Ho-sung displayed strong finishing power by shaving five strokes in the final third round that day, finishing the tournament in a tie for third place (8-under par), up six places from the previous day. Kim Sung-yong claimed his first win on the senior stage with a total of 12-under par.
