Seo Yoseop Secures LX Championship Victory... 8-Stroke Lead in Solo First Place

3R 6-Under Par Barrage... On the Verge of Back-to-Back KPGA Wins After 2 Years

Seo Yoseop is taking his second shot on the 11th hole during the 3rd round of the LX Championship held on the 3rd at Island CC in Daebu-do, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Taewon] Seo Yoseop (26) virtually secured victory by leading solo with an 8-stroke lead at the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour LX Championship (total prize money 600 million won).

On the 3rd, at the 3rd round of the tournament held at Island CC in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 7,269 yards), Seo Yoseop recorded 6 birdies without any bogeys, shooting 6-under 66. Seo Yoseop reduced 3 strokes in both the front and back nine, including consecutive birdies on holes 8-9 and 16-17.

With a total score of 18-under 198, Seo Yoseop led solo by 8 strokes ahead of joint second place players Jeong Hanmil (31) and Cha Kangho (23), who scored 10-under 206.

Seo Yoseop showed excellent form throughout the tournament. After taking the solo lead with 9-under on the first day, he maintained a 3-stroke lead over joint second place in the second round, and extended the gap to 8 strokes in the third round.

A consecutive win in two tournaments is also anticipated. Seo Yoseop previously won the Bodyfriend Phantom Robo Gunsan CC Open held in Gunsan, Jeonbuk, on the 28th of last month after a three-round playoff. Consecutive wins in the Korean Tour have not been achieved since Kim Hanbyul (26) won the Hazys Golf KPGA Open and Shinhan Donghae Open back-to-back in September 2020, marking a two-year gap.

He said, "There were several crises in the front nine, but I managed to avoid losing strokes, which greatly helped maintain momentum in the back nine. My tee shots and putting were better than yesterday," adding, "I played calmly without worrying about the stroke difference."

He continued, "I learned from an article that the recent player to win two consecutive tournaments was Kim Hanbyul. It's not an easy feat, and I think it's amazing," adding, "Since my friend achieved it first, I want to do it too. With my confidence rising, I won't miss this opportunity."

Yoon Sungho (26) and Kim Taeho (27) are tied for 4th place (9-under 207), while Heo Inhoe (35), Ham Jungwoo (28), and Shin Sanghoon (24) share 6th place (8-under 208). Ok Taehun (24) and Lee Taehee (38) are tied for 9th place (7-under 209).

Kim Bio finished the 3rd round tied for 30th place (3-under 213), and Kim Hanbyul tied for 37th place (2-under 214).

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