Seongnam, Korea, April 26: Korea’s Doyeob Mun will be looking to impress on home soil when he tees up for The 38th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship at the Namseoul Country Club next week.

The 27-year-old Mun, playing in his second season on the Asian Tour, enjoyed a solid start to the year when he came in tied-fifth at the season-opener in Singapore. That result earned him a coveted spot at The Open where he will be making his Major debut this July.

Mun, who is also the first and only player to record an albatross on Tour this season, will be part of a strong local challenge spearheaded by defending champion Sanghyun Park at the storied event, which offers a prize purse of KR₩1,200,000,000 (approx. US$1,067,000).

“I was in Hawaii over the winter for my pre-season training. I haven’t played many tournaments so far this year actually so I felt my game was pretty rusty. But I played on my home circuit last week so I feel better now and I am ready for the season ahead,” said Mun.

Mun made the grade in his first attempt at the Qualifying School in 2018. Despite missing three cuts in eight starts, he notched a tied-fourth place result to eventually finish in 59th place on the Habitat for Humanity Standings and retained his card for 2019.

“I am definitely hoping to win on the Asian Tour. That will open up a lot of opportunities for me, like playing on the bigger Tours. Finishing inside top-60 is a must for me as well,” added Mun, who claimed his first professional title on his local circuit last year.

Speaking about his upcoming Major debut, Mun said: “I am looking forward to it. One of my goals is to play well at The Open. I was told to be prepared for the ever-changing weather and the links-style course. Hopefully my training in Hawaii will help as the conditions seemed to be pretty similar.”

Other notable players in the field include Thailand’s Prom Meesawat and Danthai Boonma, Australian duo Marcus Fraser and Jason Norris, as well as India’s Chikkarangappa S. and Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh.

The 38th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship is the first of the three Asian Tour events to be played in Korea this season. It has been dominated by Koreans since 2005. American Mark Calcavecchia was the last foreigner to win the tournament in 2004.

The Namseoul Country Club was opened in 1971 and has been the host venue of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open since 1982 except for five occasions in 1984, 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2006.

Ends.