'Overtime Victory' Kim Hongtaek... 'Defended Korea's Pride'

GS Caltex Maekyung Open: Chu Enbunam Defeats Opponents
Second Career Win, 20 Consecutive Years of Korean Tournament Victory
Lee Taehoon 3rd Place, Jang Yubin and Lee Junghwan Tied 4th Place

Kim Hong-taek succeeded in defending his home turf.

Kim Hong-taek is teeing off at the 1st hole of the 4th round of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open.
[Photo by GS Caltex Maekyung Open Organizing Committee]

On the 5th, at the 43rd GS Caltex Maekyung Open (total prize money 1.3 billion KRW) held at Namseoul Country Club in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province (Par 71, 7,083 yards), he added 2 under par in the 4th round to tie with Chonlatit Chuenbun-ngam (Thailand) at 10 under par 274. Then, on the first hole of the sudden-death playoff resumed at the 18th hole (par 4), he secured the winning par. This marked his second career victory after more than seven years since the Dynamic Busan Open of the Dong-A Membership Group in August 2017, with a winner's prize of 300 million KRW. Since Choi Sang-ho in 2005, this is the 20th consecutive year a Korean player has won this tournament.

Starting from a tie for 3rd place, two strokes behind, Kim Hong-taek recorded six birdies, two bogeys, and one double bogey. By the 12th hole, he had lost two strokes, seeming to fall behind in the race for the title. However, he dominated the leaderboard with three consecutive birdies from holes 13 to 15 and a crucial birdie on the 17th hole (par 3). In the playoff, his steady play secured par, overcoming Chuenbun-ngam whose tee shot landed in a bunker.

Lee Tae-hoon (Canada) finished 3rd at 8 under par 276, while Jang Yoo-bin and Ok Tae-hoon tied for 4th at 7 under par 277 with strong performances. Lee Jung-hwan, who led the previous day, struggled with 4 over par and dropped to a tie for 4th. Hwang Jung-gon placed 7th at 6 under par 278, Kang Kyung-nam tied for 9th at 4 under par 280, Choi Jin-ho tied for 11th at 3 under par 281, and Ko Gun-taek tied for 16th at 2 under par 282. Jo Woo-young tied for 20th at 1 under par 283, Ham Jung-woo tied for 33rd at 2 over par 286, and Park Sang-hyun finished tied for 51st at 5 over par 289.