Lee Jun-seok's 18th Hole 'Winning Birdie' "I Like My Home Course Uijeong Hills"... Kim Joo-hyung '3rd Place, 2 Shots Behind'

Korean Open Final Day: Even-Par 1-Stroke Victory '400 Million Won Jackpot', Park Eun-shin 2nd, Kim Bi-o 4th, Kim Young-soo and Hyun Jung-hyeop Tied 5th

Lee Jun-seok is cheering after securing victory on the final day of the Korea Open. Photo by Korea Open Organizing Committee

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] This is Lee Jun-seok's (Australia) first career victory.

On the 27th, at Chungnam Cheonan Woojeong Hills Golf Club (par 71, 7,328 yards), the final day of the Kolon 63rd Korean Open (total prize money 1.3 billion KRW), he scored an even par to complete a one-stroke victory (8 under par, 276 strokes). He maintained the top position on the leaderboard for four days, achieving a 'wire-to-wire' win and received prize money of 400 million KRW. He passed the Korean Tour Qualifying Tournament (QT) as the top qualifier in 2008 and debuted the following year. Living in Cheonan, he has used Woojeong Hills Golf Club as his 'home course' since 2019.

Lee Jun-seok started with a one-stroke lead, exchanging four birdies and four bogeys. He made two birdies and four bogeys over 16 holes, making the victory seem difficult. However, at the 17th hole (par 4), he made a 10-meter birdie to tie for the lead, then dramatized the final 18th hole (par 5) with a 3-meter birdie. Lee Jun-seok went to Australia to study abroad at age 15 and has experience as a member of the Australian national team. He also has one win on the China Tour in 2012.

On the Korean Tour, his best results were runner-up finishes at the 2018 Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Choi Kyung-ju Invitational and last year's GS Caltex Maekyung Open. "I still can't believe it," said Lee Jun-seok, "I often fell short at the threshold of victory and felt despair, so I am very happy that the results of my efforts have come out." He added, "I felt the momentum shift when I made the birdie on the 17th hole," and tearfully said, "I feel like I have become a proud father to my two children."

Park Eun-shin (31, UBASE) performed well by reducing one stroke but was satisfied with second place (7 under par, 277 strokes). Missing the birdie putt on the 18th hole, she did not get a chance for a playoff. The '19-year-old young gun' Kim Joo-hyung (CJ Logistics) lost one stroke and finished third (6 under par, 278 strokes). It was regrettable that he made a bogey on the 18th hole, where he was tied for the lead. Kim Bi-o (31, Hoban Construction) was fourth (5 under par, 279 strokes), and Kim Young-soo (32, PNS Holdings) and Hyun Jung-hyup (38) tied for fifth (4 under par, 280 strokes).