'Soyul's Dad' Ham Jeong-woo "Cheering After 2 Years"... 'Wire to Wire'

Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Choi Kyung-ju Invitational 4R 1 Under Par
3rd Career Win Since 2021 Victory
Choi Jin-ho 2nd, Go Gun-taek 12th, Jo Woo-young 18th

‘Soyul's dad’ Ham Jeong-woo wins ‘wire to wire’.

On the 8th, at the Ferrum Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province (Par 72, 7,232 yards), Ham Jeong-woo shot 1-under par in the third round of the KPGA Korean Tour Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Choi Kyung-ju Invitational (total prize money 1.25 billion KRW) to secure a one-stroke victory (6-under par 282). This marks his third career win and his first since October 2021 at this tournament, with a winner’s prize of 250 million KRW.

Ham Jung-woo is teeing off at the 3rd hole in the 4th round of the Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Choi Kyung-ju Invitational.
[Photo by KPGA]

Ham Jeong-woo started the final round with a one-stroke lead, recording four birdies and three bogeys. Although he began shakily with a bogey on the 1st hole, he shifted momentum with a birdie on the 7th hole (both par 4s), followed by birdies on the 12th and consecutive birdies on the 15th and 16th holes, distancing himself from his competitors. Despite consecutive bogeys on the 17th and 18th holes, his lead remained secure. Ham Jeong-woo is part of a ‘golf couple,’ married to Kang Ye-rin, born in 1994 like him, who plays on the KLPGA Tour. They became parents to a daughter this March, making him a ‘dad golfer.’

Throughout the four-day tournament, he maintained his position atop the leaderboard, fulfilling his promise to take a victory photo with his daughter. This year, Ham has qualified for the final rounds in all 18 tournaments he entered, boasting consistent performance with eight top-10 finishes including one win. Last month, he showcased his strong form by finishing third at the LX Championship, and ultimately collected the winner’s trophy this day. He currently leads in scoring average.

Veteran Choi Jin-ho reduced his score by one stroke to finish second (5-under par 283), achieving his best personal result this season and marking his second consecutive top-5 finish. Jeon Seong-hyun, Kim Chan-woo, Jung Jae-hyun, and Cho Sung-min tied for third place (4-under par 284), Lee Jeong-hwan tied for seventh (3-under par 285), and Lee Dong-min shared ninth place (2-under par 286). Three-time champion Ko Gun-taek and ‘fisherman swing’ Choi Ho-sung tied for 12th (1-under par 287), while Hangzhou Asian Games team gold medalist Cho Woo-young finished tied for 18th (1-over par 289), concluding the tournament.

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