'2nd Year' Kim Chan-woo "I am the 36-hole winner after 34 years"

Bizplay Electronic Newspaper Open Victory by 1 Stroke
First Since 1989 Pocari Sweat Open
Jeon Garam and Lee Seongho Tied for 2nd, Moon Gyeongjun Tied for 5th

‘2nd-year’ Kim Chan-woo entered the list of 36-hole winners for the first time in 34 years.

On the 17th, at the final 2nd round of the KPGA Korean Tour Bizplay Electronic Times Open (total prize money 525 million KRW) held at Cosmos Links in Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do (par 72, 7,407 yards), he shot 8 under par to secure a 1-stroke victory (12 under par 132). Kim Chan-woo, who won his first career title, received a winner’s prize of 105 million KRW, reduced by 25% according to regulations.

Kim Chan-woo is smiling brightly while holding the trophy right after winning the Bizplay Electronic Newspaper Open.
[Photo by KPGA]

This tournament was shortened to 36 holes to determine the winner after heavy rain flooded the course following the first round on the 14th. It is the first time in 34 years since the 1989 Pocari Sweat Open that the Korean Tour decided the champion over 36 holes. Including the 1983 Busan Open, this is the third time. Although shortened to 36 holes, the winner still receives a 2-year Korean Tour exemption.

Starting from a tie for 14th place, 3 strokes behind, Kim Chan-woo swept up 8 birdies without a single bogey. Notable were his 3 consecutive birdies from holes 1 to 3 and back-to-back birdies on holes 5 and 6. Although Kim debuted last year, he did not achieve good results. He finished 79th in last year’s money rankings and had to go through the Qualifying Tournament (QT) again to return to the first division tour. His best personal result this year was a tie for 13th at the LX Championship on the 3rd. Despite earning only 30.76 million KRW this season, he caused an upset in Yeongam.

Kim Chan-woo said, “Recently, my shots and mentality have improved,” adding, “My goal was to maintain my tour card, but now that I have my first win, I want to win again soon.” Jeon Ga-ram and Lee Sung-ho tied for 2nd place (11 under par 133), while Moon Kyung-jun and Lee Soo-min tied for 5th place (10 under par 134). Defending champion Choi Jin-ho finished tied for 14th (7 under par 137).

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