Nippon Shaft sponsors DB Insurance Young Guns Match Play

Golf shaft specialist Nippon Shaft will sponsor the 11th DB Insurance Young Guns Match Play, a domestic tournament aimed at developing promising young male golfers in South Korea.

The amateur men's event runs Monday through Friday at Rainbow Hills Country Club in Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province, with DB Insurance as the host and the KPGA as the organizer. Nippon Shaft manufactures steel and carbon golf shafts and is best known for its N.S.PRO brand.

The format opens with a two-day, 36-hole stroke play qualifying round, after which the top 32 players advance to a three-day match play tournament to determine the champion.

Nippon Shaft will award the winner shafts valued at 1 million won ($754), with second- through fourth-place finishers each receiving shafts worth 500,000 won and fifth- through eighth-place finishers each receiving shafts worth 300,000 won. Any player who records a hole-in-one will receive shafts valued at 2 million won, and all main-round participants will receive commemorative gifts including ball markers and golf tees. The total sponsorship package is valued at around 10 million won.

The field is expected to include national team member Kang Seung-gu and other members of the national team reserve squad, along with other top domestic prospects. The winner and top finishers will earn entry into the 2027 KPGA Tour's DB Insurance Promi Open, giving them a chance to compete on the professional circuit.

"We are delighted to sponsor a tournament where young players who will lead the future of Korean golf can showcase their skills and grow," a Nippon Shaft official said. "We will continue to support players in improving their performance and developing the next generation of golf talent."