'65 Attempts 66 Times' at KB Financial Liiv Championship
Lee Jeonghwan and Lee Seungtaek Tied for 2nd, Bae Yongjun 4th
Kim Mingyu and Kim Minsu Tied for 6th, Ham Jeongwoo 10th
This is Kim Dong-min's first career victory.
On the 28th, Kim Dong-min shot a 5-under-par 67 in the final 4th round at Blackstone Golf Club (par 72) in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, concluding the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour KB Financial Live Championship (total prize money 700 million KRW) to claim a 2-stroke victory (8-under-par 280). Having joined the Korean Tour in 2020, he broke through with his first win in his 66th start over four years. Counting only the tournaments he entered after receiving his tour card, this was his 53rd appearance. He earned 140 million KRW in prize money, moving up to 2nd place in the money rankings with 338.01 million KRW.
Kim Dong-min is cheering after making an eagle on the 18th hole on the final day of the KB Financial Live Championship. [Photo by KPGA]
Starting from 10th place, 5 strokes behind, Kim Dong-min recorded 1 eagle, 5 birdies, and 2 bogeys. His concentration was evident in the front nine, where he made three consecutive birdies from holes 4 to 6 and another birdie on the 9th hole (par 4), reducing his score by 4 strokes. Although he struggled with 1-over-par on the back nine, he secured a crucial eagle on the final 18th hole (par 5).
Kim Dong-min won a bronze medal in the men's team golf event at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games but faced a challenging three years on the professional circuit. During those three years, he advanced to the final rounds in only 19 out of 47 tournaments, less than half. However, from the end of last season, Kim began showing remarkable results. Last month, he signaled the arrival of a new contender with a 4th place finish at the DB Insurance Promy Open and a runner-up finish at the Golfzon Open.
Lee Jung-hwan and Lee Seung-taek each lowered their scores by 2 strokes to tie for 2nd place (6-under-par 282). Bae Yong-jun and Shin Sang-hoon are tied for 4th place (5-under-par 283). Kim Min-gyu, who led the previous day, struggled with a 4-over-par 76 and dropped to a tie for 6th place (4-under-par 284). 'Screen golf champion' Kim Min-soo is also tied for 6th, while Jeon Ga-ram and Kim Min-jun share 8th place (3-under-par 285). Ham Jung-woo, Lee Soo-min, Lee Jae-kyung, and Hwang Jung-gon are tied for 10th place (2-under-par 286).
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