The finals of the '2026 Hwacheon Sancheoneo National Park Golf Festival,' the largest of its kind in South Korea, began on September 15 in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province. Athletes who qualified through regional preliminaries will compete for a prize of 30 million won and a green jacket awarded to the male and female Most Valuable Players (MVPs).
According to Hwacheon County, the Hwacheon County Sports Council will host the finals from September 15 to 18 at the first and second courses of the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Park Golf Course.
The competition will be held in a stroke play format. Players will complete a total of 144 holes over four days, playing 36 holes each day, with the final rankings determined by the lowest cumulative scores.
The finalists advanced through eight rounds of preliminaries held from August 18 to September 9. This year, over 3,200 participants registered for the preliminaries, leading to an early closure of applications due to high interest.
The total prize money for the tournament is 122.4 million won.
Each MVP will receive 30 million won, a green jacket, and a gold-plated trophy. In addition, the top three finishers in the men's and women's general and senior divisions will receive 5 million won, 3 million won, and 2 million won, respectively. Event-specific prizes are also available.
Now in its fifth year, the tournament, which started in 2022, has established itself as a major event in the domestic park golf scene, thanks to its scale, prize money, and the format of eight preliminary rounds followed by a 144-hole final.
The tournament's operational model connects sports events with local consumption.
The entry fee for the finals is 60,000 won per person. Participants will receive 40,000 won in Hwacheon Love gift certificates and local agricultural products worth 20,000 won.
Hwacheon County expects that athletes, their families, and tournament officials from across the country will utilize local accommodations, restaurants, and tourist attractions, thereby benefiting the local economy.
Kim Se-hoon, the mayor of Hwacheon County, stated, “As top park golf players from across the nation gather in Hwacheon, we will do our utmost to ensure the best conditions for the athletes to showcase their skills. We aim to promote Hwacheon through park golf and expand sports marketing to foster growth in sports, tourism, and the local economy.”
The tournament is organized by the Hwacheon County Sports Council, with support from the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Park Golf Association and the Hwacheon Park Golf Association, and is sponsored by Hwacheon County and the Korea Park Golf Association.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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