Kim Min-gyu 4th Place... 'Japanese Players' Feast'

Shinhan Donghae Open FR 4 Under Par, Lee Jeonghwan 8th
Hirata 3rd Win, Smyth 2nd, Suzuki 3rd
Lee Jeonghwan 8th, Jeong Chanmin and Jang Yubin Tied 20th

'KPGA Tour money ranking No.1' Kim Min-gyu was satisfied with being in the 'Top 5'.

Kim Min-gyu is teeing off at the 7th hole of the 4th round of the Shinhan Donghae Open.
[Photo by KPGA]

On the 8th, at Club72 Ocean Course (Par 72, 7,204 yards) in Jung-gu, Incheon, Kim shot a 4-under-par 68 in the final round of the 40th Shinhan Donghae Open (total prize money 1.4 billion KRW) to finish 4th (17-under-par 271). The Shinhan Donghae Open is the longest-running and most prestigious tournament sponsored by a single domestic sponsor. It is jointly organized by three tours: KPGA Tour, Asian Tour, and Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO). The winner receives a 5-year KPGA Tour card and 2-year cards for the Asian Tour and JGTO.

This year became a 'festival' for Japanese players. Hirata Gensei (Japan), who plays on the JGTO, fired a 6-under-par 66 to clinch a one-stroke victory (22-under-par 266). This is his third JGTO win this season and fifth overall, with a winner's prize of 252 million KRW. This is the fourth time a Japanese player has won the Shinhan Donghae Open. Since the tournament has been co-hosted by Korea and JGTO, it is the second time after Higashi Kazuki (Japan) in 2022.

Travis Smyth (Australia) led with an 8-under-par 64 to fiercely chase Hirata but settled for 2nd place (21-under-par 267). Suzuki Kosuke finished 3rd (18-under-par 270), and Ikemura Tomoya and Horikawa Mikumu (both Japan) tied for 5th (16-under-par 272). Korea's Lee Jung-hwan ranked 8th (15-under-par 273), making the 'Top 10'. Jung Chan-min and KPGA Tour's average score leader and Genesis Award No.1 Jang Yu-bin finished tied for 20th (13-under-par 276) to conclude the tournament.