'The Returning Six-Time Champion' Jang Yu-bin Wins KPGA Classic: "My Top Priority Is the Genesis Award; I Will Also Challenge the PGA"

*This content was translated by AI.

The dignity of the "Six-Time Champion" has finally been restored. Jang Yu-bin (24, Shinhan Financial Group) secured her first win since returning to Korea at the KPGA Classic with Imbita (total prize money 700 million won) on the KPGA Tour.

On the 14th, in the final fourth round held at the Cypress Golf & Resort Northwest Course (Par 72) in Seogwipo, Jeju, Jang Yu-bin added 10 points with four birdies, one eagle, and three bogeys.

With a final total of 49 points, Jang Yu-bin finished four points ahead of second-place Park Eun-shin (45 points) to claim the championship. She took home a winning prize of 140 million won.

Jang Yu-bin previously won as an amateur in 2023 and later won a gold medal in the team event at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

She then fully entered the tour in 2024, securing two victories to become the Six-Time Champion, winning the KPGA Genesis Award, the Money List title, and Choi Jeo-ta (수상).

She immediately challenged a bigger stage. In 2025, she became the first Korean player to sign with LIV Golf, aiming for the global stage. However, injuries and the resulting slump overlapped, and she ultimately chose to return to the domestic stage.

Jang Yu-bin, who finished as runner-up in the Woori Financial Championship this season, finally reclaimed the throne in her eighth tournament of the season, marking her fourth career victory.

This tournament was played under a modified Stableford format, where aggressive play was crucial. Birdies were awarded 2 points, eagles 5 points, and albatrosses 8 points, while pars counted as 0 points, bogeys as -1 point, and double bogeys or worse as -3 points.

There was a need to take risks and play aggressively, and Jang Yu-bin's aggressive play paid off perfectly.

Jang Yu-bin, who led by five points through the third round, added two points with a birdie on the 1st hole (Par 4) on this day. Although she made a bogey on the 3rd hole (Par 3), she sank an eagle putt on the 5th hole (Par 5), moving one step closer to victory. She added birdies on the 6th hole (Par 4) and the 8th hole (Par 5), gaining 10 points in the front nine alone, and then comfortably maintained her lead in the back nine.

She made bogeys on the 11th hole (Par 4) and the 15th hole (Par 4) but made up for it with a birdie on the 14th hole (Par 5), then held par to eventually claim the championship.

According to the KPGA, Jang Yu-bin said in a post-tournament press conference, "This tournament was one I wanted to praise myself for. I wanted to tell myself I did well. My birthday was on Thursday, the first round, so I think this victory is a birthday gift to me."

She continued, "When the ball was hitting well, I thought I was a player who controlled the ball well, but until this tournament, I felt that things that were going well weren't working at all, so I felt very discouraged. Both my putts and shots were not under my control, and among my approach shots, I like pitch shots, but I couldn't get them close to the pin and failed to take advantage of opportunities to lower my score, so I think my heart was heavy." She confessed that the road to victory was not easy.

Although she went through a major trial last year, Jang Yu-bin said, "I gained a lot from it. Playing alongside world-class players one by one was helpful." She added, "Today, I felt a bit anxious in the back nine, but because I had last year's experience, I think I was able to get through without making major mistakes. I believe all of last year's experiences are my assets. I think it was an experience I cannot do without in my future player career."

Although Jang Yu-bin had already conquered the KPGA Tour by achieving the Six-Time Champion title, she explained, "I felt my short game, putting, and approach shots were lacking, so during training camp, I focused more on short game practice than shot practice. Thanks to that, I think my approach shots, in particular, have improved greatly." She added, "I recorded my swing and felt that my rhythm has become faster than before. Especially, I had a strong feeling that my rhythm was off during the backswing, so when I tried to hit while thinking about the rhythm in my mind, my ball contact improved significantly. When addressing the ball, I thought the distance to the ball was close, so I tried standing a bit farther away and focusing on rhythm, and even though it was a simple method, it worked well. I also paid more attention to my setup when I changed my putter this time. I felt my elbows were close to my body, so during practice, I tried dropping them once, and I found that putting with my shoulders rather than my hands suited me better. Of course, I listen well to my coach's advice, but I also have a tendency to do whatever feels good to me unconditionally and not do anything that doesn't feel right."

For now, her goal is to return to the top of the KPGA. Jang Yu-bin said, "There are still many tournaments left, and since anything can happen in golf, my top priority for this year remains the Genesis Award. I will think about what comes after that later." She added, "I returned to the KPGA Tour because I wanted to challenge the PGA Tour, so that is the direction I have set, but nothing more specific has been decided yet," leaving a lingering thought.

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*This content was translated by AI.