Kim Si-woo Held Back by Putt, Ties for 5th at Shinhan Donghae Open

Higa Kazuki Ranks No.1 in Japan with 5-Stroke Comeback Victory
Jo Min-kyu and Shin Yong-gu Tie for 2nd Place... Kim Tae-hoon Ties for 5th Place

Kim Si-woo is putting in the final round of the KPGA Korean Tour Shinhan Donghae Open held on the 11th at Koma Country Club in Nara City, Nara Prefecture, Japan. / Photo by Yonhap News

Kim Si-woo (27), who is active on the PGA Tour, failed in his challenge to win the Korean Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour title for the first time in six years. He was hampered by putts that repeatedly ignored the hole.

On the 11th, at the final round of the KPGA Tour Shinhan Donghae Open (total prize money 1.4 billion KRW) held at Koma Country Club in Nara City, Nara Prefecture, Japan (par 71), Kim Si-woo recorded a 1-under-par 70. His total score for the 4 rounds was 17-under-par 267, tying for 5th place.

Kim Si-woo participated in a KPGA tournament for the first time in six years since the 2016 Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance KJ Choi Invitational. Starting the final round in 2nd place, three strokes behind the leader, he aimed for a comeback victory but struggled to reduce his score due to consecutive putting mistakes from the beginning.

He made his first birdie on the 9th hole (par 4), narrowing the gap to two strokes, but eventually lost momentum in the chase at the 14th hole (par 4). His second shot was short, landing the ball in a penalty area, resulting in a penalty stroke, and the ball he placed on the green was far from the hole, leading to a double bogey. Kim also lost strokes with a three-putt bogey on the 15th hole (par 3).

However, Kim Si-woo showcased his skills on the last two holes. He made a birdie on the 17th hole (par 5), and on the 18th hole, a 323-yard par 4, he recorded an eagle to finish strong. After dropping the ball about 3 meters from the hole with one tee shot, he completed it with a putt.

The victory went to Higashi Kazuki (Japan), who ranks first in prize money on the Japan Professional Golf Tour. Despite his short stature of 158 cm, Higashi is noted on the Japanese stage as a long hitter with an average driver distance of 292.6 yards. Starting the final round five strokes behind the previous day’s leader, Thirawat Kaewsirivanit (Thailand), Higashi made seven birdies that day, reducing six strokes to finish at 20-under-par 264, securing a come-from-behind victory. This is his third win of the season. Higashi tied for the lead with a birdie on the 17th hole (par 5) and completed the come-from-behind victory by sinking a 5-meter birdie putt on the 18th hole (par 4).

Thirawat Kaewsirivanit, who started the day’s round three strokes ahead in second place, recorded an albatross on the 3rd hole (par 5) but ultimately collapsed with a 1-over-par 72, allowing the come-from-behind win. Notably, on the last hole, he missed a 3-meter birdie putt that could have extended the match to a playoff, and also missed a par putt of less than 1 meter.

Jo Min-kyu (34), who has won twice on the Japan Professional Golf Tour, and Shin Yong-gu (Canada), who won his first career victory last month at the Woosung Construction Open, finished tied for 2nd place (18-under-par 266), two strokes behind. Kim Tae-hoon (37), who made an eagle on the last hole to reduce five strokes, joined the tie for 5th place, but defending champion Seo Yo-seop (26) remained in a tie for 14th place (15-under-par 269).

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