Defending Champion Park Eun-sin Advances to Semifinals... 'Challenge for First Ever Consecutive Title Defense'

Descente Korea Match Play Quarterfinals: Kang Taeyoung Dominates
Park Eunshin vs Bae Yongjun, Lee Jaekyung vs Kang Kyungnam Semifinal Lineup

Park Eun-shin sailed smoothly toward the 'first-ever consecutive title defense.'

On the afternoon of the 3rd, Park Eun-shin defeated Kang Tae-young by 5 holes in the quarterfinals of the 13th Descente Korea Match Play (total prize money 800 million KRW) held at Kingsdale Golf Club in Chungju, Chungbuk (par 72, 7,323 yards) on the KPGA Korean Tour. Earlier that morning, he crushed Bae Yoon-ho by 6 holes in the round of 16. Park Eun-shin will face Bae Yong-jun in the semifinals on the morning of the 4th.

Park Eun-shin is reading the putting line on the 6th hole of the quarterfinals at the Descente Korea Match Play.
[Photo by KPGA]

Last year, Park Eun-shin won his first career victory in his 13th year on the Korean Tour by defeating Kim Min-jun in the second sudden-death playoff hole of the final. He then secured his second win at the Golfzon-Doray Open in November last year. Park Eun-shin is aiming to become the first player in the tournament's history to defend the title. He said, "Thanks to overcoming difficult situations well, I was able to win the quarterfinals. Although I played two matches today, I have no issues with stamina," adding, "I will approach the semifinals as I have done so far."

Bae Yong-jun advanced through the group stage with three consecutive wins, then defeated Ham Jung-woo in the round of 16 and Park Sang-hyun in the quarterfinals. Bae Yong-jun was last season's Rookie of the Year (Myungchul Award) recipient. He recorded a win at the Honors K-Solago CC Han Jang-sang Invitational in July last year. Bae Yong-jun expressed his ambition, saying, "I am happy to have won a great match against the respected Park Sang-hyun. I learned a lot during the match," and "Having achieved my first goal of reaching the semifinals in this tournament, I will challenge the bigger goal of winning the championship."

In the other semifinal, 40-year-old veteran Kang Kyung-nam, who has 11 career Korean Tour wins, will face 20-something Lee Jae-kyung, who has 2 career wins. Kang Kyung-nam, the inaugural champion of this tournament in 2010, defeated Kim Tae-ho in the round of 16 and Kim Min-gyu in the quarterfinals. He is challenging to become the 'Match King' again after 13 years. Kang Kyung-nam emphasized, "I have gained confidence knowing that I still have this fighting spirit," adding, "Stamina will be crucial. I will endure well with mental strength."

Lee Jae-kyung, who entered as a recommended player, defeated Ko Gun-taek and Kwon Sung-yeol by 4 holes each in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, respectively. Lee Jae-kyung said, "Having kept winning since the group stage, I am in a perfect flow," and expressed determination, "Kang Kyung-nam is a strong player in match play, but my current form is good, so I won't be an easy opponent."

A total of 64 players participated in this tournament. Similar to the FIFA World Cup, the players were divided into 16 groups for the group stage, with the top player from each group advancing to the round of 16. From the round of 16 onward, matches are played in a one-on-one match play format. The winner's prize money is 160 million KRW. On the morning of the 4th, the semifinals and 5th to 8th place matches will be held. On the same day in the afternoon, the final, 3rd/4th place match, 5th/6th place match, and 7th/8th place match will take place.