The DPRK Amateur Golf Open is an amateur golf tournament held at the Pyongyang Golf Complex, located approximately 27 kilometers outside Pyongyang, North Korea. The event was launched in 2011 at what was then the country's only open golf course. The tournament is organized with the involvement of foreign tour operators and is open to amateur golfers of various nationalities, though South Korean and United States citizens have been barred from participation due to travel restrictions imposed by North Korea.
History
The Pyongyang Golf Complex was designed and built in 1987 by a Japanese company. The course is a par-72 layout and is primarily used by diplomatic staff stationed in North Korea. Prior to the establishment of the DPRK Amateur Golf Open, Koryo Tours hosted the Pyongyang Friendship Golf Tournament in 2004, a smaller 9-hole event with eight competitors.
In January 2011, North Korea announced plans to host its first fully fledged 18-hole international amateur tournament. The inaugural DPRK Amateur Golf Open took place in April 2011 as a one-day event played in Callaway format. Subsequent editions varied in duration and scoring format. The 2012 tournament spanned three days using both Callaway and Stableford formats. The 2013 event was held from May 25 to 27 over three days in stroke play format. The 2014 event took place from July 27 to 28 over two days in stroke play format. The 2015 event was held on September 6 and 7 in stroke play format, with eleven nations participating. The 2016 tournament took place from October 8 to 9, with eighteen nations participating.
The tournament has not been played since 2016. Reports indicate that organizers have expressed intentions to revive the event in subsequent years, with provisional plans announced for editions in the mid-2020s, though these have not been confirmed as of the latest available information.
Winners
| Year | Winner | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Lukasz Tomiewicz | Poland |
| 2015 | Claudio Consul | Germany |
| 2014 | Nobuaki Kasahara | Japan |
| 2013 | Peter Clark | New Zealand |
| 2012 | Simon Jones | England |
| 2011 | Olli Lehtonen | Finland |
Records
The lowest gross score recorded during the tournament is 70, achieved by Claudio Consul in 2015. A claim has been made by a Pyongyang Golf Club professional that Kim Jong Il shot a course record of 34 in the early 1990s, reportedly including five holes in one. This claim was relayed to a reporter for the Australian Financial Review in 1994 but has not been independently confirmed by another source.
References
The tournament is documented in the Wikipedia article "DPRK Amateur Golf Open" and on the official tournament website (northkoreanopen.com), which provides registration and event information.
