Yikeun Chang

Yikeun topped the class at the 2016 Asian Tour Qualifying School which was his very first attempt since turning professional. It was also his first time winning a tournament.

Won the 2013 North Ranch Intercollegiate while playing for the University of Southern California. Early in his freshman year, had back-to-back top-10s, at the Pac-12 Conference Preview (5th) and at the U.S. Collegiate (T-9th). Attended the school for only one year before turning pro. Was a 2010 Rolex Junior All-American first-team member and attended Southland Christian School in Bellflower, California. Played steady golf all week at the Cadillac Championship to post a T-7th in Beijing. Shot four under-par rounds?70-71-68-70?to tie with amateur Cheng Jin and Justin Shin.
2014 Notes: Finished T-14th at the Haikou Qualifying Tournament for the PGA TOUR China Series, earning fully-exempt status for the circuit?s inaugural season. Opened 72-72 before finishing 73-74 at Mission Hills GC?s Sandbelt Trails Course. Fired a 7-under 65, the low score of the final round, to finish 11th at the regular season?s first event, the Mission Hills Haikou Open. Was 10-under on the weekend after opening 4-over (73-75). Added a T17 at the Buick Open in Guangzhou, with three 71s and a second-round 74...Had four under-par rounds at the Yulongwan Yunnan Open (66-70-68-70) to finish at 14-under, good for his first top-10 of the season. Finished T-7th at Yulongwan GC in early August. Added a second consecutive top-10 when he T9 at the Chateau Junding Penglai Open. Shot a third-round 66. Finished inside the top-10 for a third consecutive tournament while garnering his first top-five performance. Was T-5th at the Cadillac Championship in September, with four par-or-better rounds at Qinghe Bay GC. Entered the final round of the OneAsia Tour?s Nanshan China Masters in second place, a stroke behind China?s Hao Tong Li. During blustery conditions Sunday, shot an 8-over 79 a day after firing a 6-under 65 to get into contention. Dropped into a T-8th with Sang Yeop Lee and Jin Ho Choi, 10 shots behind Li?s winning score. Was in position to make a final-round run at the OneAsia Tour?s Kolon Korea Open in late-October. Was 1-under with 18 holes to play, but on the final day, split between Sunday and Monday due to fog, shot a 6-over 77 to fall into a T-14th with Rory Hie, Jun Won Park and In Choon Hwang. Failed to advance from the second stage of the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament when he shot rounds of 74-73-79-68 to T38 in Murrieta, Calif.
2015 Notes: Put together a solid start to the Lushan Open in early October. Was 7-under through 54 holes and tied for second, a shot off Sejun Yoon?s lead. Could only manage a 1-over 71 on the final day at Lushan International GC in Jiujiang to drop into a T4 with Rohan Blizard, three shots behind winner Bryden Macpherson. Finished T-10th with six others at the Chongqing Jiangnan NewTown KingRun Open in mid-October. Fired a pair of 70s on the weekend at Nanshan KingRun GC. Turned in a T-5th at the Nine Dragons Open in mid-November. Only a 2-over 74 in the third round kept him from truly contending. Bookend 70s in the opening and closing rounds kept him in the mix all week, allowing him to record his third consecutive top-10 and 4th in five starts. Added another top-10 a week later, finishing T-5th at the Hainan Open in Sanya. Made an early run at the leaders, with three birdies and six pars on his front nine in the final round. Added another birdie on No. 10 before his putter went cold and he made three back-nine bogeys, ending his hopes of a title.
2016 Notes: Played a greatly reduced schedule but still was able to finish 35th on the Order of Merit in only five appearances on the PGA Tour China Series, Made the cut in all five, with a T-36th his worst showing and a third-place effort his best. Went to the Asian Tour Qualifying Tournament at Springfield Royal CC and Imperial Lakeview GC in Hua Hin, Thailand, and earned medalist honors, defeating the United States? Dodge Kemmer by a stroke. Opened with a tournament-low 63 and led from start to finish. Held off Kemmer, who fired a final-round 65, by turning in a 67 of his own. Enjoyed his first top-10 of the year when he T-8th at the Leopalace21 Myanmar Open in February. Moved from a T-19th when the final round began into a T-8th following a Sunday 68. Held the 54-hole Sunning Estate Nanjing Zhongshan Open following a 69-68-68 start at Nanjing Zhongshan International GC. It was only his second end-of-round lead in his PGA TOUR China career. On the final day, could only muster an even-par 72 that included late bogeys at Nos. 16 and 17 that ruined any hope he had of winning. Eventually finished third, three shots behind winner Zecheng Dou. The third-place effort was his 10th career top-10 and his career-best finish, bettering a pair of T-4s he had in 2015. The ￥81,600 was also a career-best.
2017 Notes: Chang won the Kolon Korean, part of the OneAsia Tour schedule, after a three-hole aggregate play-off with compatriot Kim GiWhan. Entering the week 533rd in the world, he came from two behind Kim on the final day and moved up almost 200 places on the rankings.
It was his first victory on the circuit, but followed a T-2nd in April at the Asian Tour?s Yeangder Heritage event in Chinese Taipei, where he was the overnight leader and shot 68, but saw Indian Shiv Kapur come racing past him with a 64. ?Next time when I have an opportunity to win I will pull it off,? he said and he was as good as his word. He finished top of last year?s qualifying school at the age of 22, kicking off his first appearance in that gruelling week with a 63 and triumphing by one.