'Rookie Award Winner' Song Min-hyeok, After First Victory, Declares Ambition: "I Will Challenge the Korn Ferry Tour"

*This content was translated by AI.

"I plan to challenge the Korn Ferry Tour."

Song Min-hyeok (22, Donga Pharmaceutical) revealed greater ambitions after securing his first professional title at the GS Caltex Maeil Business Newspaper (MK) Open.

On the 3rd, Song Min-hyeok defeated Jo Min-kyu (38, Woori Financial Group) in a playoff during the final fourth round of the 45th GS Caltex Maeil Business Newspaper (MK) Open golf tournament (total prize money 1.3 billion won) held at South Seoul Country Club (par 71) in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, to claim the championship.

Song Min-hyeok, who served as a national team member from 2021 to 2023 before debuting on the professional stage in 2024 and winning the rookie award, reached the top of the professional ranks for the first time through this tournament.

His best result was a runner-up finish at the KPGA Tour Championship in November 2024, and his best results in two tournaments this season were tied for 25th, but he ultimately secured the victory and roared.

With this win, Song Min-hyeok earned a prize money of 300 million won and gained two-year Asian Tour and five-year KPGA Tour seeds.

In the final fourth round, Song Min-hyeok recorded three birdies and two bogeys, shooting a 1-under-par 70, finishing with a total of 11-under-par 273, tying with Jo Min-kyu.

Starting from the 1st hole (par 4), Song Min-hyeok built confidence by securing consecutive birdies on the 3rd hole (par 3) and 4th hole (par 5). In the back nine, he recorded bogeys on the 11th hole (par 3) and 16th hole (par 4), and a birdie on the 12th hole (par 4), managing to reduce his score by only one stroke.

Luck was on his side. Jo Min-kyu, who was surging after an eagle on the 4th hole, recorded a bogey on the 17th hole (par 3) and a double bogey on the 18th hole (par 4), giving Song Min-hyeok another opportunity.

In the playoff held on the 18th hole (par 4), Song Min-hyeok saved par while Jo Min-kyu bogeyed, making Song Min-hyeok the champion.

After the victory, Song Min-hyeok said, "I played many tournaments in the lead group last year. I thought I could compete for the win. Although I desperately wanted to win, I believed that if I had the strength to get up even after falling, I could become a player who wins more often. The opportunity came sooner than expected, and I am truly happy."

He continued, "I plan to challenge the Korn Ferry Tour this year. If I receive the Genesis Award, I will be exempt from the first stage and can go directly to the finals. Since I won my first title faster than expected, I would like to challenge for three wins this season."

Jo Min-kyu left a sense of regret after missing his first domestic tournament victory just in front of his eyes. Debuting on the KPGA Tour in 2010, Jo Min-kyu won the 2011 Kansai Open and the 2016 Fuji Sankei Classic on the Japan Professional Golf Tour (JGTO), but had never experienced a victory in a domestic tournament.

Moreover, Jo Min-kyu finished as runner-up in the Maeil Business Newspaper (MK) Open again in 2011, 2020, and 2022, deepening the sense of regret.

Heo In-hoe (39, Geumgang Housing) could have entered a three-way playoff by recording 11-under-par 273 with seven birdies on the final day, but two strokes were added after the score from the 7th hole (par 5) in the third round, held the previous day, was corrected late.

At that time, a tournament official picked up Heo In-hoe's tee shot, allowing him to play as a provisional ball and record a par. However, just before the fourth round playoff, this tee shot was suddenly revised as out of bounds (OB), resulting in a double bogey.

Heo In-hoe, who lost two strokes unjustly, finished the tournament in a tie for third place with Lee Tae-hee (42, OK Savings Bank) and Ian Snayman (South Africa) with a total of 9-under-par 275.

Kim Sung-hyun (28, Shinhan Financial Group), who returned to Korea due to military service issues after playing on the U.S. PGA Tour, and Kim Min-kyu (25), currently affiliated with LIV Golf, both finished in a tie for sixth place with a total of 6-under-par 278.

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*This content was translated by AI.