Hana Bank Invitational Final Round: 1-Under Par
Norris Wins in Playoff, Sakamoto Runner-Up
Kim Baekjun 5th, Song Younghan 9th, Kim Hongtaek 22nd
Veteran golfer Choi Jinho, age 41, finished in the top three.
On June 15, at The Heaven Country Club West and South Course (par 72, 7,293 yards) in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Choi placed third by one stroke (17-under-par 271) at the Hana Bank Invitational, a tournament co-hosted by the Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Tour and the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), with a total prize fund of 1.3 billion won. He carded three birdies and two bogeys for a 1-under-par 71. This was the highest finish among Korean players.
Choi Jinho is teeing off at the 2nd hole of the 4th round of the Hana Bank Invitational. Photo by KPGA
Choi Jinho was named KPGA Rookie of the Year in 2006 and won the Genesis Grand Prize in both 2016 and 2017. He aimed to add another trophy to his collection for the first time in about two years and nine months since the Bizplay Electronic Times Open in September 2022, but his quest for a ninth career victory will have to wait.
Shaun Norris (South Africa) reduced his score by six strokes to tie with Sakamoto Yusuke (Japan) at 18-under-par 270, then clinched victory with a birdie on the second playoff hole, which resumed at the 18th hole (par 5). Norris earned his eighth career win on the JGTO, collected the winner's prize of 260 million won, and secured a two-year tour card for both Korea and Japan (2026?2027).
Lee Taehun (Canada) finished fourth (16-under-par 272), while Kim Baekjun, Ok Taehun, Shin Yonggu (Canada), and Delos Santos (Philippines) shared fifth place (15-under-par 273). Song Younghan tied for ninth (14-under-par 274), and Kim Bio, Hwang Junggon, Ryu Hyunwoo, and Moon Kyungjun tied for thirteenth (13-under-par 275). Kim Hongtaek, who won last week's Baeksong Holdings-Asiad CC Busan Open, ended the tournament tied for 22nd (11-under-par 277).
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
