Kyung-Hoon Lee's Comeback Victory "First Career Title Defense"... "Did You See the Strong Finish at 9 Under Par?"

AT&T Byron Nelson Final Day: 1 Eagle and 7 Birdies for 9 Under Par "Craig Ranch is the Promised Land"

Lee Kyung-hoon is teeing off at the 2nd hole on the final day of the AT&T Byron Nelson. McKinney, USA = Getty Images / Multibits Photo by Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "8 under par → 4 under par → 5 under par → 9 under par."

Lee Kyoung-hoon (31, CJ Logistics) successfully defended his first PGA Tour title. On the 16th (Korean time) at the Craig Ranch Golf Course in McKinney, Texas (par 72, 7,468 yards), he shot 9 under par on the final day of the AT&T Byron Nelson (total prize money $9.1 million) to achieve a come-from-behind victory (26 under par, 262 strokes). This year, world stars including world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (USA) participated, drawing even more spotlight. The winner's prize money was $1,638,000 (2.1 billion KRW).

Starting from a tie for 6th place, 4 strokes behind, Lee made one eagle and seven birdies. He recorded back-to-back birdies on holes 2-3 and 5-6, and energized himself with a birdie on the 9th hole (par 5). The highlight was an eagle on the 12th hole (par 5) on the back nine with a ‘2 on 1 putt’. From 238 yards, he hit a 4-iron shot that landed just 1.2 meters from the hole. Birdies followed on the 13th hole (par 4), while the par on the 14th hole (par 4) with a ‘1 on 3 putt’ was somewhat disappointing. He sealed the victory with a birdie on the final 18th hole (par 5) with a ‘2 on 2 putt’.

Lee Kyoung-hoon was the gold medalist in the team golf event at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. He won twice on the Japan Golf Tour (JGTO), including the 2012 Nagashima Shigeo and the 2015 Honma Tour World Cup, and achieved back-to-back victories at the Korean Open, known as Korea’s national title, in 2016 and 2017. In 2018, ranked 5th on the Korn Ferry Tour money list, he moved to the U.S. in 2019, showing potential with a tie for 3rd at the Zurich Classic in April and a tie for 2nd at the Phoenix Open in February 2020.

Having won this tournament last year, he became the 8th Korean champion in history, following ‘Tank’ K.J. Choi (52, SK Telecom, 8 wins), Yang Yong-eun (50, 2 wins), Bae Sang-moon (36, 2 wins), Noh Seung-yul (32, 1 win), Kim Si-woo (27, 3 wins), Kang Sung-hoon (35, 1 win), and Im Sung-jae (24, 2 wins). The AT&T Byron Nelson has especially become a ‘promised land’ for Korean players, with Bae Sang-moon (2013), Kang Sung-hoon (2019), and Lee Kyoung-hoon’s back-to-back wins in 2021-2022. Lee also cheered, saying, "I like Craig Ranch."