'Overwhelming despite losing five shots' Yang Ji-ho secures third career victory and 700 million won in prize money at the Korean Open with a wire-to-wire win... Defeated second-place Lind by four shots [KPGA]

*This content was translated by AI.

Yang Ji-ho (37) claimed a wire-to-wire victory with an overwhelming performance, never relinquishing the lead from the first round.

On the 24th, at the 67th Koong Yong Korean Open Championship (total prize money 1.4 billion won) held at Ujeong Hills Country Club (par 71) in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, Yang Ji-ho shot a 5-over-par 76 with two birdies and seven bogeys in the final fourth round.

Finishing with a total of 9-under-par 275, Yang Ji-ho defeated second-place Charlie Lind (Sweden, 5-under-par 279) by four shots to claim the title.

Starting the first round with nine birdies and three bogeys to shoot 6-under and take sole first place, Yang Ji-ho reduced his score by four strokes each in the second and third rounds, including an eagle, to enter the final round with a commanding seven-stroke lead.

Although he stumbled early with consecutive bogeys, he secured birdies on the 5th hole (par 5) and the 9th hole (par 4), finishing the front nine at even par.

In the back nine, he lost three more strokes on the 10th (par 4), 13th (par 3), and 16th (par 3) holes, but the gap to the second-place group never narrowed. He ultimately lifted the championship trophy with an overwhelming margin.

Yang Ji-ho, who joined the KPGA in 2006, achieved his first emotional victory at the 2022 KB Financial Rev Championship and claimed his second title at the 2023 Hana Bank Invitational. With an overwhelming performance in this tournament, he smiled once again.

With a winning prize of 500 million won plus a 2 billion won bonus, Yang Ji-ho earned a total of 700 million won from this event alone, securing a spot in the upcoming Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in the UK in July.

Originally, LIV Golf was set to contribute 500,000 dollars, increasing the total prize money to 2 billion won, but due to the suspension of support from the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), LIV faced financial difficulties and changed its policy, putting the total prize money at risk of dropping to 1.4 billion won, the same as last year.

To maintain the trust of players and fans who might feel a sense of loss due to the sudden change in prize money scale, the KPGA added a special winning prize of 2 billion won, allowing Yang Ji-ho to take home a total of 700 million won.

Second place was taken by Sweden's Charlie Lind. Although he narrowed the gap, he was unable to overtake the leader.

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

*This content was translated by AI.