Kim Dong-min (25, NH Nonghyup Bank), who overturned the 5-stroke lead, achieved an impressive first win on the Korea Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour 4 years after his debut.
In the final round of the KPGA Korean Tour KB Financial Live Championship (total prize money of 700 million won) held at Blackstone Golf Club (par 72) in Icheon City, Gyeonggi Province on the 28th, Kim Dong-min recorded a 5 under par 67 strokes.
Kim Dong-min, who recorded a total of 8 under par and 280 strokes, won the championship by two strokes over Lee Jung-hwan (32, Sokcho Ai) and Lee Seung-taek (28, 6 under par, 282 strokes), who were tied for second place.
Debuting on the KPGA Korean Tour in 2020, he enjoyed the thrill of his first win in the 66th tournament of the tour. Kim Dong-min received 140 million won as the winning prize. He ranked first in Genesis points (2351.8 points) and second in prize money (238 million won).
Kim Dong-min, who was a bronze medalist at the 2018 Jakarta Palembang Asian Games, did not live up to expectations in the professional field.
In November of last year, he won the runner-up at the Golfzon Toray Open and received attention, and this year he made a leap forward. Last month, he gradually improved his condition by placing 4th at the DB Insurance Promy Open and finishing runner-up at the Golfzon Open.
On this day, Kim Dong-min, who entered the final round in 10th place, behind Kim Min-gyu (22, CJ) by 5 strokes, competed for the championship by driving 4 birdies to the 9th hole in the first half.
After bogey on the 10th hole (par 4), he made up for it with a birdie on the 15th hole (par 5). However, he roared with a dramatic eagle on the last 18th hole (par 5).
After hitting a 302-yard tee shot on the fairway, he attacked the green with 236 yards left, and put his second shot 5 meters to the side of the hole. He then made an eagle putt and smiled brightly.
Kim Dong-min, who rose to the lead by one stroke, confirmed the championship when Shin Sang-hoon (25, BC Card), who was chasing him, made a double bogey on the 17th hole. Shin Sang-hoon lost one stroke on the day and was tied for fourth place with a total of 5 under par and 283 strokes.
After the match, Kim Dong-min said, “I never dreamed that I would win after the third round.” I felt happy,” he said.
Looking back at the decisive eagle on the 18th hole, he said, “I knew that I was tied for the lead on the 17th hole, and I thought I had to make a birdie at least on the last hole to win overtime or win.”
Then, he smiled brightly, saying, “I was contemplating whether to hit the second shot with a 2-iron or a 3-wood, and then I chose the wood, but I landed close to the pin and was able to make an eagle. The last putt was aimed at an eagle.”
Having changed since last year’s Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Choi Kyung-ju Invitational, he cited confidence in his driver shot as the secret. Kim Dong-min explained, “There are many OBs whose driver shots go to the right, so I intensively practiced my driver shots by myself. My tee shot has improved a lot compared to the first half of last year, so I am more confident.”스포츠토토
He said, “Now that I have achieved my goal of winning, I want to rank first in Genesis points and win the grand prize. Through this, I want to participate in the final stage of the Korn Ferry Tour Q School.”
Kim Min-kyu, who was leading until the third round, lost a whopping 4 strokes that day, including 1 triple bogey, 4 bogeys, and 3 birdies. Kim Min-gyu was tied for 6th place with a total of 4 under par 284 strokes.