Sung Ajin, a former member of the national team, said, "My goal is to become No. 1 in the world." Jump Tour Debut Championship after extra time

*This content was translated by AI.

Sung Ah-jin (19, Hite Jinro), a promising player from the national team, won his first career championship after a close game in overtime at the tournament, which he participated in for the first time since joining the KLPGA.

Sung A-jin wrote a 1-under 71 in the final round of the first round of the KLPGA 2026 Jeju Airport Rent Car and Baekje CC Jump Tour held at Baekje Country Club Course in Buyeo-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, tied Park Ha-yeon (20) with a total of 4-under 140 before winning in overtime.

In the first extra time on the 18th hole, Sung Ah-jin put a shot hit with a pitching wedge to the left of the pin with 112 yards left, calmly succeeded in a birdie putt and beat Park Ha-yeon, who ended up with a par, to secure an emotional victory.

This made Sung the 33rd player ever to win her KLPGA Jump Tour debut. This was recorded by former world No. 1 Ko Jin-young (31), Lee Ye-won (23), and Sung Yu-jin (26).

Sung Ah-jin, who started golf in earnest when he was in the sixth grade of elementary school, had a brilliant amateur days, including the gold medal in the individual and team events at the National Sports Festival in 2024, winning Song Am-bae, and playing for the national team in 2025. In particular, he was recognized for his ability by leading the runner-up in the team event of the 2025 World Women's Amateur Golf Team Championship.

Sung Ah-jin said through the KLPGA, "I'm really happy to win my first competition since the entrance," adding, "I've been rewarded for practicing hard and I've gained the strength to work harder in the future."

In the final round of the day, Sung Ah-jin faced a crisis by recording a double bogey on the second hole. Sung Ah-jin said, "I stumbled for a while with a shot mistake, but I vowed not to give up until the end," adding, "I played aggressively to make up for it, but I was able to continue the flow by making consecutive birdies in holes 3, 4, and 5."

As for the overtime he experienced for the first time in his life, he said, "I was more excited about what kind of experience I could experience rather than nervous. I was able to win because I had fun playing," he added.

Sung Ah-jin said, "I'm usually confident in iron shots, but it's a shame that I didn't come out as expected in this tournament. "I will practice more and show better performance," he said. "This year's goal is to secure seed rights for the regular tour. In the long run, I want to be a player who consistently ranks in the top 10 of the regular tour, and I want to advance to the LPGA Tour and become No. 1 in the world," he said.

Meanwhile, Park Je-hee, Hong Soo-min, and Yoo Seung-eun tied for third with a 3-under 141 overall, while Kim Go-kyung, Sung Chae-heon, and Ahn Yeon-ju tied for sixth with a 2-under 142.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.