Bae Yong-joon (22), a rookie on the Korean Tour of Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA), won the Honors K and Solarago CC Single Award Invitational (total prize money of 500 million won).
On the last day of the tournament held at Solarago CC (par 72, 7,272 yards) in Taean-gun, Chungcheongnam-do on the 17th, Bae Yong-jun added 9 points with 5 birdies and 1 bogey, and recorded a final total of 53 points.
The tournament was held in a modified Stableford format, in which the results of each hole were converted into points and graded.
Albatross 8 points, Eagle 5 points, birdie 2 points, bogey -1 point, double bogey less -3 points.
Bae Yong-joon, who took the lead by 4 points ahead of second place by 44 points until the third round, beat second-placed Lee Jae-kyung (23) by 6 points.
The prize money for winning this competition is Rs.
Bae Yong-jun, who made his debut on the KPGA Korean Tour this year, climbed to the top of the Rookie of the Year points category with his first win.
Also, on the KPGA Korean Tour this season, he became the first person to win the Wire to Wire championship, which did not miss the first place from the first day to the last day, and became the second ‘rookie champion’ of the season after Jang Hee-min (20) at the Woori Financial Championship in May.
In particular, in 11 competitions this year, the 6th first-time winner has already been born.
Bae Yong-jun also continued his good relationship with this golf course by lifting the championship cup again at Solarago CC following the Maekyung Solarago Cup in 2019 when he was an amateur and the 8th KPGA Srixon Tour, the second part of the tour in June last year.
Bae Yong-joon, who wore a red top and black bottoms on the last day of the tournament, like Tiger Woods, the ‘golf emperor’, showed a presence comparable to Woods at this Solarago CC.
Bae Yong-joon, who was three points ahead of second-placed Jae-kyung Lee, took the victory when Lee Jae-kyung, who was playing in the previous group, missed the eagle opportunity by mistake on the last 18th hole (par 5) tee shot.
Bae Yong-joon, who entered the 18th hole while Lee Jae-kyung led by four points by bogeying the 18th hole, celebrated his first win with this hole birdie.
Last year’s winner, Kim Han-byul (26), tied for 36th with 30 points.
In addition, Hwang Jung-gon (30), champion of Asiad CC Busan Open at the beginning of this month, just before the KPGA Korean Tour, is tied for 23rd with 33 points.
Han Jang-sang (82), KPGA advisor, who is called ‘the living witness of Korean golf’, has been the host of this tournament since this year.
Advisor Han Jang-sang recorded 19 wins in Korea and 3 wins in Japan tour, and won four consecutive championships, including the Korean Open and KPGA Championships in the 1960s and 1970s.
He also won the Japan Open in 1972 and competed in the 1973 Masters for the first time in Korea.
The KPGA Korean Tour will enter a summer break after this tournament.
The next competition is the 4th Woosung Construction Open (total prize money of 700 million won), which will open on August 11th in Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do.
/yunhap news