Choi Seung-bin Wins Final Day with 7-Under Par, 1-Stroke Comeback Victory
Park Jun-hong 2nd, Kim Min-su and Kim Tae-ho Tied for 3rd
Baek Seok-hyun 12th, Lee Jae-kyung 14th, Kim Bi-o 33rd
It is the “surprise victory” of second-year player Choi Seung-bin.
Choi Seung-bin shot 7 under par in the final 4th round of the KPGA Championship (total prize money 1.5 billion KRW) held on the 11th at A-One Country Club in Yangsan, Gyeongnam (par 71, 7,138 yards), securing a one-stroke victory (14 under par 270). He earned his first career win in his 23rd tournament since his debut last year. He received a winner’s prize of 300 million KRW, a Korean Tour card through 2028, and a lifetime entry right to the KPGA Championship.
Choi Seung-bin is teeing off at the 7th hole during the final 4th round of the KPGA Championship. [Photo by KPGA]
Starting from a one-stroke tie for second place, Choi Seung-bin racked up 8 birdies (1 bogey). After back-to-back birdies on holes 3 and 4 and a streak of three consecutive birdies from holes 9 to 11, he added another stroke on the 13th hole (par 5). Although he recorded his only bogey on the 16th hole (par 4), he secured a thrilling come-from-behind victory with consecutive birdies on holes 17 and 18.
Since debuting on the Korean Tour last year, Choi Seung-bin had not produced notable results. He barely maintained his tour card by ranking 69th on the money list (89.86 million KRW). This year was not much different. He participated in six tournaments and shone briefly with a tie for 5th place at the Golfzon Open in April. However, powered by his second-place ranking in driving distance (average 322.02 yards), he finally unleashed his potential at the most prestigious tournament.
Second-year player Park Jun-hong achieved his personal best with a runner-up finish (13 under par 271). 2019 champion Lee Won-jun (Australia), Kim Tae-ho, and Kim Min-su tied for 3rd place (10 under par 274) with strong performances. Baek Seok-hyun and Hwang Jung-gon finished tied for 12th (6 under par 278), Lee Jae-kyung and Lee Tae-hee tied for 14th (5 under par 279), and Kim Bi-o ended the tournament tied for 33rd (1 under par 283).
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