(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Young-ho = Wang Jeong-hoon, who has three wins in total on the DP World Tour, experienced the joy of his first win on the Korea Professional Golf (KPGA) Tour through the Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Choi Kyung-ju Invitational (total prize money of 1.25 billion won).
Wang Jeong-hoon won 4 birdies and no bogeys, hitting 4 under par 68 in the 4th round on the final day of the tournament held at Ferrum Club (par 72) in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do on the 4th.
Wang Jeong-hoon, who recorded a final total of 10 under par 278 strokes, beat Kim Hong-taek (final total of 7 under par 281 strokes) by 3 strokes and became the winner of the championship trophy, taking home the prize money of 250 million won.
Lee Sang-hee and Kim Yeon-seop finished the tournament with a final total of 6 under par and 282 strokes, tied for third place.
This is the first time that Wang Jeong-hoon has won the KPGA Tour.
Wang Jeong-hoon, who debuted on the DP World Tour in 2016, won his first trophy at the Hassan II Trophy that year and then went on to dominate the Mauritius Open, winning his second win of the season and winning the rookie of the year title.
Wang Jeong-hoon won his third championship at the Qatar Masters in January 2017, and after enlisting in the military, he was discharged in July 2022 and performed overseas and on the KPGA tour, but he was far from winning the trophy.
Prior to this tournament, Wang Jeong-hoon, who participated in 9 KPGA Tour tournaments this season, boosted his mood by ranking in the 'top 10' 4 times, and finally completed his first win in his 10th tournament.
Wang Jeong-hoon said, "I'm happy to win in front of domestic fans. I didn't expect to win until the end, but I'm very happy to get my first win."
He explained, "It was really big that I didn't make a bogey today. I made a mistake on the tee shot, but I think I played safely until the end and had a good result. My play style on the course is wild, and my personality tends to be aggressive. At the same time, I think I missed out on winning by a lot. So I played safely and calmly this time."
He added, "Winning the Genesis Grand Prize is my goal for this season. I will work hard for the rest of the season to be ranked first in Genesis points. Regarding the PGA Tour Q School, I am ready and willing to take on the challenge. I will prepare slowly."
Wang Jeong-hoon, who solidified his first place in Rookie of the Year points this season with 2,294.67 points, ranked 5th in Genesis points (3,546.20 points) and 6th in prize money (487,225,693 won).
Wang Jeong-hoon, who started the 4th round in 3rd place, got off to a good start by dropping a 3.9m birdie putt in the 2nd hole (par 4).
The 3rd hole (par 3) faced a crisis when his first shot fell off the green fringe, but Wang Jeong-hoon, who finished with a birdie, continued his upward trend by making birdies in 2 consecutive holes.
When Kim Yeon-seop, who competed together in the champion group, made a bogey on the 4th hole (par 4), Wang Jeong-hoon rose to the sole lead.
Kim Yeon-seop, who had faltered, took the lead again with Wang Jeong-hoon with a birdie on the 7th hole (par 4).
The competition between the two was mixed at the 12th hole (par 5).
Wang Jeong-hoon dropped his approach shot 1.8m next to the hole and earned a birdie, but Kim Yeon-seop missed a 1.4m par putt and ended up making bogeys, and Wang Jeong-hoon quickly took the lead by two strokes.
Wang Jeong-hoon practically predicted victory at the 15th hole (par 4).
While Wang Jeong-hoon maintained his first place by saving par from the 13th to 15th holes, Kim Yeon-seop's bogey on the 15th hole widened the gap with the leader by three strokes, dashing his hopes of a comeback.
While Wang Jeong-hoon closed all remaining holes with pars and became the champion, Kim Hong-taek rose to second place with a birdie on the 18th hole (par 5), and Kim Yeon-seop, who also lost one stroke on the 18th hole, fell to a tie for third place.
