Reporter Ahn Gyeong-nam = Professional golf tournaments use names as complex as various tours. The name changes according to various criteria such as the nature of the competition, sponsors, participants, and the way it is played.
This is why Open, Championship, Classic, Masters, etc. are used even though they are the same golf tournament.
However, if you know the hidden meaning, it becomes much easier to understand the characteristics of the golf tournament at once. It can be another fun point for fans who have just started playing golf.
‘Open’ open to both pros and amateursThe first official golf tournament in the world was the ‘British Open’ held in 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club in Glasgow, a city in southern Scotland.
At the time, eight professional players from England participated and competed for the championship.
To compensate for this, the door was opened to amateurs as well, and the name ‘Open’, which means ‘open to the world’, began to be used.
It literally means that it is open to both professionals and amateurs. It is hosted by a professional organization, but it contains the meaning of giving opportunities to invited players and amateur players who have passed the preliminary round.
However, amateur players climb the ranks, but do not give prize money.
The British Open, Phoenix Open, Farmers Insurance Open, and Sony Open, which have been established as one of the world’s four major tournaments, fall into this category.
‘Championship’ to cover the strongest proThe championship has the meaning of determining the strongest among professional players. Crucially different from the ‘open’ is that amateurs cannot participate and only professional golfers are eligible to participate.
If you compare it to soccer, it’s like a star war between pros like the Champions League of the European Football Federation (UEFA).
Representative championships include the PGA Tour Championship and the US Open Championship.
However, it is true that the meaning of the championship has faded more than before as more competitions have recently used the championship.
In Korea, the name “championship” is usually given to major tournaments, but in the United States and Europe, it is used as a universal title.
‘Classic’ and ‘Masters’ with a long historyAs the name suggests, ‘Classic’ is used for competitions that value tradition the most. When you want to show off a long history or continue a tradition over a long time, you put the name classic.
There is also a hidden intention to differentiate it from competitions such as the Open or Championship and put the meaning of ‘luxurious’. As such, it provides various benefits and courtesy to the participating players.
It is the exact opposite of the Open, and like the championship, only professional players are eligible to participate. However, recently, there are cases where famous amateur players invited by sponsors participate.
Among the PGA tours, there are the Honda Classic, RSM Classic, John Deere Classic, and Rocket Mortgage Classic, and the DP World Tour (formerly known as the European Tour) has the Dubai Desert Classic.
‘Masters’, one of the four major competitions, is also similar to the Classic, but the qualifications are much stricter, and only masters can participate.
This tournament, created in 1934 by legendary golfer Bobby Jones, is considered a dream stage for professional players. Jeju Samdasoo Masters is held in Korea.
‘Invitational’ where only invited players go out
‘Invitational’ refers to a tournament that is invited by the organizer or sponsor based on the player’s prize money ranking, tour ranking, and popularity. This, too, has the opposite character of the Open, which is open to all players. 토토사이트
‘Saudi International’, which was recently sponsored by Saudi Arabian capital, falls into this category.
In Korea, the Korea Professional Golf Tour (KPGA) KEB Korea Exchange Bank Invitational, which is held back and forth between Korea and China, is representative. The tournament is hosted by Korea Exchange Bank, and a large number of players from the China Golf Association are invited.
‘Pro-Am’, where pros and amateurs play as a team’Pro-Am’ is a tournament in which amateurs play as a team with professional players. It is a game format in which ‘Pro’ and ‘Amateur’ round together.
It is also a place for players to express their gratitude to the sponsors and sponsors who helped organize the tournament.
The most famous tournament is the PGA Tour ‘AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am’. Recently, the attention of the main players left the LIV series sponsored by Saudi Oil Money, and the competition lost interest, but famous amateurs such as ‘soccer star’ Gareth Bale were invited and received attention.
In Korea, the 2018 KPGA Korean Tour Huons Celebrity Pro-Am debuted.
‘Charity’ for fundraisingCompetitions held to raise funds to support charitable organizations or promote specific purpose projects such as social contributions are given the name ‘Charity’.
The PGA Tour includes the Dominion Energy Charity and Workday Charity Open. In Korea, there is the ‘Korea Senior Open’ held to revitalize the active stage of senior golfers.
In addition, when matches are played in a 1v1 tournament format, names such as ‘Match Play’ are attached.
On the PGA Tour, the only World Gold Championship (WGC) Dell Technologies match play is held in a ‘match play’ method.