Heo Inhoe "Double Bogey on the Final 18th Hole"... Still Wins

GS Caltex Maekyung Open Final Day 4 Over Par '2-Stroke Victory', Kim Juhyung 2nd, Park Sanghyun 3rd

Heo In-hoe is cheering after making a birdie on the 5th hole on the final day of the Maekyung Open.

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "Only 3 players under par."

The "wild horse" Heo In-hoe (34) finally reached his 4th career win on the Korean Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) tour after great hardship. On the final day of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open (total prize money 1.2 billion KRW) held on the 9th at Namseoul Golf Club in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province (par 71, 7,057 yards), he lost 4 strokes but maintained a 2-stroke victory (5 under par, 279 strokes). It was his first win in 6 years and 1 month since the Dongbu Insurance Promy Open in April 2015. With a winner's prize of 300 million KRW, although it is still early in the season, he immediately took over the top spot in the prize money rankings.

Heo In-hoe started with a 6-stroke lead and recorded 2 birdies, 2 bogeys, and 2 double bogeys. He faced a thorny path from the start with a double bogey on the 2nd hole (par 4) and a bogey on the 3rd hole (par 3). He recovered with 2 birdies on the 5th and 13th holes (both par 4), but a second bogey on the 17th hole (par 3) and a double bogey on the final 18th hole (par 4) continued his "rollercoaster play." After a tee shot miss, his second shot flew onto the cart path behind the green, and his third shot went beyond the green again.

A 30-meter uphill putt came back, threatening to reduce his lead to 4 strokes. Fortunately, his fifth shot landed close to the hole, sealing the victory. This added significance as he shared the win with his wife, Yuk Eun-chae, who served as his dedicated caddie since 2018. Heo said, "The course was so difficult that I just aimed not to shoot over par," and added, "Because the gap with second place was large, it was actually hard to concentrate," expressing his gratitude by saying, "I want to thank my wife."

The 19-year-old young gun Kim Joo-hyung (19, CJ Logistics) added 1 under par to rise to 2nd place (3 under par, 281 strokes). This is his second runner-up finish following the 2021 season opener DB Insurance Promy Open on the Korean Tour. Park Sang-hyun (38, Dong-A Pharmaceutical), champion in 2016 and 2018, secured 3rd place (2 under par, 282 strokes) along with a daily best score of 2 under par. Defending champion Lee Tae-hee (37) failed in his attempt to win this tournament for the third consecutive time, finishing tied for 12th place (4 over par, 288 strokes).