Wang Jeonghun's Strong Finish "Four Under Par Surge"... Campillo Wins in Playoff

Qatar Masters Final Day Tied 28th, Drysdale 2nd, Lee Taehee Tied 61st

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is Wang Jeong-hoon's (25, photo) strong finish.

On the 9th (Korean time) at the Education Golf Club in Doha, Qatar (par 71, 7,307 yards), he shot 4 under par on the final day of the European Tour Commercial Bank Qatar Masters (total prize money $1.75 million) to finish tied for 28th place (6 under par 278). Although he failed to reclaim the top spot for the first time in three years since 2017, it is his best performance of the season. Jorge Campillo (Spain) and David Drysdale (Scotland) tied at 13 under par 271, and after a fierce 5-hole playoff, Campillo secured the win with a 'winning birdie.'

Wang Jeong-hoon started tied for 57th place, 12 strokes behind, and collected six birdies (two bogeys). His early concentration stood out as he reduced five strokes over seven holes, including consecutive birdies on holes 2 and 3 and a three-birdie streak from holes 5 to 7. Although he faltered briefly with consecutive bogeys on holes 9 and 10, he added another birdie on hole 15 (par 3) to finish the tournament on a high note. He powered his game with an 83.3% greens in regulation rate featuring 'pinpoint iron shots' and 'stingy putting' averaging 1.60 putts per hole.

Wang Jeong-hoon was the 2016 'European Rookie of the Year.' From his first year on tour, he caused a sensation with back-to-back wins at the Hassan II Trophy and the Mauritius Open. At the Qatar Masters, he set a remarkable record as the third youngest three-time winner on the European Tour (21 years and 144 days), following Matteo Manassero (Italy, 3 wins at age 19) and the late Seve Ballesteros (Spain, 3 wins at age 20 in 2011). It is unfortunate that he has been struggling with a win drought for three years since then.

This year, he suffered the humiliation of missing the cut in three consecutive tournaments: the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, and the Saudi International. After finishing tied for 43rd at last week's Oman Open, he broke into the top 20 this week, successfully turning the momentum around. Campillo lost one stroke with three birdies, two bogeys, and one double bogey. Leading by three strokes until hole 15 (par 3), he allowed the playoff after a bogey on hole 16 and a double bogey on hole 17 (both par 4s).

However, on the fifth playoff hole resumed at hole 18 (par 4), he made a crucial 6-meter birdie putt. This marked his second career win, one year after his first victory at the Hassan II Trophy in April last year after 229 tournaments, with a winner's prize of 258,655 euros (about 350 million won). Campillo exclaimed, "My shots were shaky, but I overcame the critical moments with putting," and said, "I am proud of myself." For Korea, Lee Tae-hee (36) finished tied for 61st place (1 under par 283), and Moon Kyung-jun (38) tied for 66th place (even par 284).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.