'40-year-old Gambler' Park Sang-hyun "I will challenge for the Grand Prize and Prize Money King"

12th Career Win with 'Playoff Eagle' at Genesis Championship
First Korean Tour Player to Surpass 5 Billion KRW in Total Earnings, a Historic Record
"Body Care is Important. Just Practice Hard"

Park Sang-hyun is a born competitor. He hates losing. Born in April 1983, he is over 40 years old. Although he is aging, his attitude toward competition has become even more serious. He is one of the seniors that juniors want to emulate. Last week, Jeong Jae-hoon, who won the final round of the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Srixon (2nd division) Tour, expressed his wish, saying, "I want to be active on the tour for a long time like Park Sang-hyun."

Park Sang-hyun once again demonstrated his veteran power. On the 15th, at the Korean Tour Genesis Championship (total prize money 1.5 billion won) held at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Songdo, Incheon (par 72, 7,471 yards), he tied with 'PGA member' Im Sung-jae and Bae Yong-jun at 17 under par 271 strokes, then clinched the victory with an eagle on the second hole of the resumed playoff at the 18th hole (par 5). It was a thrilling come-from-behind win against younger players such as Im Sung-jae, born in 1998, and Bae Yong-jun, born in 2000.

Park Sang-hyun is cheering as he walks to the podium after securing victory at the Genesis Championship.
[Photo by KPGA]

Park Sang-hyun became emotional immediately after his victory. He shed tears while expressing gratitude to Kang Shin-ho, Honorary Chairman of Dong-A Socio Holdings, who passed away on the 3rd. He said, "Chairman loved golf so much and was always happy when I won. Chairman, thank you very much," removing his hat and bowing deeply. Since 2015, Park Sang-hyun has been sponsored by Dong-A Pharmaceutical and wears a hat with the 'Bacchus' logo. He is also nicknamed 'Bacchus Ajusshi' and 'Kas Hyung.'

Park Sang-hyun is a player with excellent self-management skills. This is the secret to competing with younger players on the tour even after turning 40. In this tournament, he managed his condition by receiving massages from the first round through the final round. He said, "Body management is important. My back is a bit weak, so I am trying to prevent injuries," adding, "If I stay injury-free, I think I can compete for wins with younger players into my mid-40s. I always have the mindset to do well without injuries."

Regarding the power to have a long career, Park Sang-hyun credited effort. He said, "Sometimes I am amazed that I am still doing this," and advised, "It’s about diligence. You just have to practice hard." He continued, "You have to keep studying golf until you completely quit. I still watch TV broadcasts and try to imitate the play of good players. I think this passion and interest are the driving forces that allow me to endure for a long time."

Park Sang-hyun produced a memorable match in this tournament. Starting in third place, three strokes behind, he combined seven birdies and three bogeys. He reduced his score by five strokes in the front nine with three consecutive birdies from holes 1 to 3 and back-to-back birdies on holes 8 and 9, engaging in the battle for the championship. In a tie for second place by one stroke, he dramatically secured a birdie on the final 18th hole to join the playoff. In the first playoff hole, he made a birdie, and in the second playoff hole, from about 211 meters remaining, he hit a 4-iron to reach the green in two shots and then sank an eagle.

Park Sang-hyun is delighted with the car he received as a prize immediately after winning the Genesis Championship.
[Photo by KPGA]

Park Sang-hyun cheered, saying, "I was anxious because I hadn’t added a trophy since winning the opening event last year, but I’m happy to win like this," and smiled, "I believed the opportunity would come someday and gave my best until the last hole. I was lucky to make the eagle." He added, "Im Sung-jae is such an excellent player that I played without much tension," explaining, "Rather than hoping for my opponent’s mistakes, I tried to play challengingly and boldly myself."

With this victory, Park Sang-hyun recorded his 12th career win and added 300 million won in prize money, becoming the first player in Korean Tour history to surpass a cumulative prize money of 5 billion won (5,040,860,000 won). He also won the Genesis GV80 Coupe vehicle as the winner’s prize and secured a spot in the Genesis Scotland Open next July, co-hosted by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. He accumulated 654.3 million won in season prize money, rising to second place behind Han Seung-soo (USA, 717.84 million won), and ranked fourth in Genesis Award points (4,138.81 points). The leader in this category is Ham Jung-woo (4,861.42 points).

After winning the Genesis Championship, Park Sang-hyun changed his season goals. He had planned to focus on the Asian Tour after this tournament, but now he aims to win both the 'Genesis Award' and the 'Genesis Money List' simultaneously. Park Sang-hyun said, "The opportunity came. After confirming the win, I canceled all the Asian Tour events I had previously registered for," and expressed his determination, "I have never won the award before. I want to focus on the domestic stage and claim both the award and the money list."

Park Sang-hyun is smiling brightly while holding the trophy after winning the Genesis Championship.
[Photo by KPGA]

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