Sangyeop Lee Ends 10-Year Drought With Second Career Win

Victory by Two Strokes at the DB Insurance Promy Open
Secures Season with Strong Performance After Losing Tour Card Last Year
Taehun Ok Finishes Second; Seongyeol Kwon and Jeunghun Wang Tie for Third

Sangyeop Lee won his first title in 10 years.

On April 19, at La Vie Est Belle Golf & Resort (par 72, 7,254 yards) in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, he shot an impressive 6-under-par 66, carding eight birdies and two bogeys in the final round of the 21st DB Insurance Promy Open, the opening event of the 2026 KPGA Tour season with a total prize fund of KRW 1 billion. With a final total of 23-under-par 265, Sangyeop Lee edged out runner-up Taehun Ok (21-under-par 267) by two strokes to claim the victory. The winner's prize was KRW 200 million.

Sangyeop Lee, who was the KPGA Challenge (second-tier) Tour money leader in 2014, debuted on the main tour the following year and achieved his first win at the Munsingwear Match Play in June 2016. After nearly 10 years and 104 tournaments, he finally tasted victory again. Having returned from military service last year, Lee lost his tour card and had to compete in the Qualifying Tournament (QT), but managed to secure his place for this season.

Sangyeop Lee is smiling brightly holding the trophy after topping the DB Insurance Promy Open. Photo by KPGA

He set new records for the most strokes under par and the lowest total score in the history of this event. The previous record for most strokes under par was 20-under (par 72) by Guntaek Koh in 2023, and for the lowest total score, 266 (par 71) by Sangpil Yoon in 2024.

Starting the day in second place, two shots behind, Sangyeop Lee quickly turned the tables with a dominant start. He made three consecutive birdies on holes 1 to 3 to take the lead, and continued his incredible birdie streak with sharp iron shots on holes 4 to 6. On the 11th (par 5) and 12th (par 3) holes, he made back-to-back birdies again, widening the gap over Seongyeol Kwon, who made bogey on the 12th, to three shots.

Sangyeop Lee all but sealed his victory on the 15th hole (par 5). Seongyeol Kwon, attempting to reach the green in two, hit his second shot out of bounds (OB) and had to settle for a double bogey, while Lee saved par to widen his lead to four strokes. After sinking the championship putt, Lee shared a joyful embrace with his girlfriend, who had been his caddie for the four tournament days. He exclaimed, "I can't believe I won after 10 years. It feels like a dream. It feels like my very first win."

Taehun Ok, who claimed four titles last year—including the Genesis Grand Prize and money leader awards—showed his strength by shooting 8-under-par for the day. Seongyeol Kwon, aiming for his first win in about eight years since the SK Telecom Open in May 2018, faltered after a costly double bogey on the 15th and ended up tied for third at 16-under-par 272 with Jeunghun Wang.

Amateur golfer Je Son, born in 2010 and representing Dongnae High School's affiliated online school, tied for fifth at 15-under-par 273 alongside Hyungjun Lee and Garam Jeon. Minkyu Cho, Songkyu Yoo, and Ilhwan Park shared eighth place at 13-under-par 275. Defending champion Baekjoon Kim finished tied for 22nd at 9-under-par 279, while Yubin Jang, who returned to Korea after competing in LIV Golf last year, tied for 25th at 8-under-par 280.

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