'Kim Ga-young's Student' Achieves Perfect Title Ceremony Before Her Mentor, Park Jung-hyun Wins First LPBA Title in Just 413 Days Since Debut... Kang Yu-jin Takes Runner-up Spot

*This content was translated by AI.

Instead of being labeled as 'Kim Ga-young's student,' she has now confidently introduced herself to billiards fans by her own name. Park Jung-hyun (22, Harim) achieved her first title just two seasons after debuting in the Ladies Professional Billiards Association (LPBA).

On the 2nd, Park Jung-hyun defeated Kang Yu-jin (34) with a set score of 4-2 (11-9, 4-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-4, 11-2) in the LPBA final of the Professional Billiards 2026-2027 Season 3rd Tour "Eco-Friendly Construction Materials SW PBA-LPBA Championship" held at Goyang KinTEX PBA Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, securing the championship.

After joining the LPBA tour in the 2025-2026 season, Park Jung-hyun far surpassed her previous best result of fifth place (quarterfinals) and claimed her first LPBA title, earning a prize money of 40 million won. She reached the top just 413 days after her debut.

The Welcome Savings Bank Top Ranking also belonged to Park Jung-hyun, who recorded an average of 1.947 when defeating Baek Min-ju 3-1 in the quarterfinals. She additionally earned 2 million won in prize money.

Known as a former pocket billiards player and a student of Kim Ga-young (Hana Card), Park Jung-hyun switched to three-cushion billiards and joined the LPBA last season, raising expectations. However, her best result in her first season was fifth place, and this season she only reached the round of 16 in two tournaments.

This time was different. She defeated Min Jeong-hee 25-14 in the round of 128, then beat Hayashi Namiko 25-9 in the round of 64. In the round of 32, she faced Hida Ori and won after a tense 2-2 match that went to a deciding game, advancing to the round of 16. Park Jung-hyun sequentially defeated Im Kyung-jin (3-1) and Baek Min-ju (3-1), then overcame Han Seul-gi, who had previously defeated her mentor Kim Ga-young, 3-0 in the semifinals to reach the final.

In her first-ever final, she faced Kang Yu-jin, whose previous best result was only reaching the round of 16 and who was practically unknown. However, Kang had gained momentum by defeating former champion Choi Hye-mi 3-1 in the quarterfinals and Kim Min-a 3-1 in the semifinals, so Park could not afford to be careless.

Both players, making their first LPBA final appearance, struggled somewhat in the first set. In a match that lasted 24 minutes, Park Jung-hyun took an early lead by scoring 11 points first. Trailing 1-4 after seven innings, Park scored three points in the eighth inning and five more in the ninth, eventually celebrating her victory after just 12 innings.

From the second set onward, the pace quickened. Kang Yu-jin scored three points in four innings to tie the game, then added six more points with three consecutive bank shots in the fifth inning and two more in the sixth, resetting the match. In the third set, Park Jung-hyun dominated from the first inning by scoring eight points, then added three more in the fifth inning to take the lead again.

The fourth set once again saw a long battle. After 12 innings, Kang Yu-jin emerged as the winner, resetting the match once more.

From the fifth set onward, Park Jung-hyun displayed incredible focus. She scored four points each in the first and third innings, added three more in the fifth, ending the set in just 13 minutes. In the sixth set, she built a 7-2 lead with a five-point high run in two innings, then added four more points in the fifth inning to ultimately lift her first-ever championship trophy.

Kang Yu-jin joined the LPBA tour from its inception and had previously reached only the round of 16 (four times) as her best result, but she became the story of the tournament. She earned a runner-up prize of 19.9 million won, softening the disappointment of finishing second.

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*This content was translated by AI.