Jang Yubin Jang, 22, who has been dominating the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Tour this season, has another chance to win the defending championship at the Gunsan CC Open.
Jang carded an eagle, two birdies, one bogey and a double bogey for a 1-under 71 in the third round of the tournament at Gunsan Country Club (par-72) in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, on Wednesday.
With a three-round total of 15-under-par 201, Jang took a three-stroke lead over the second-place group.
Jang, who won this event as an amateur last year and then went on to win gold in the team event at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in October, will be looking to win his first professional title this year and become the first player to win back-to-back Gunsan CC Open titles.
At the Bizplay-Wonder Club Open, which concluded on March 30, Jang led the field through three rounds before being overtaken in the final four by Heo In-ho (37), who won by five strokes.
This time, he will try to win again, this time with a three-stroke lead. “At the time, I was excited after the third round, and my desire to win was really strong. This time, I’m focusing on doing my best on each hole and improving what I need to work on rather than winning,” said Jang.
Jang has been one of the standout performers on the KPGA Tour this year. He has seven top-10 finishes in 11 events this season. While he has no wins, he has three runner-up finishes and leads the Genesis Order of Merit in points, stroke average (69.47), and money earnings (468.76 million won).
The 6-foot-2, 184-pounder is also first in longest drive with an average of 311.42 yards.
His recent form has been particularly impressive. In her last three 카지노사이트 추천 tournaments, she finished second at the Hana Bank Invitational, tied for third at the Kolon 66th Korea Open, and tied for second at the Bizplay-Wonder Club Open.
This time, he is determined not to let the title slip away. “I’m determined to stay focused on every hole and play my best,” Jang said.
Rookie Kim Baek-joon (23), who eagled the ninth (par-5) hole to take a one-shot lead over Jang Yoo-bin, made three bogeys on the back nine and was unable to reduce his score to start the final round in a three-way tie for second place.
“I played well in the early round, but the weather was hot and I lost my stamina in the second half and made a lot of mistakes, but I’m still tied for second, so I’ll play well until the final round,” said Kim.
‘Veteran’ Kang Kyung-nam (41) recorded an ‘albatross’ on the second hole (par-5) when his second shot with a 3-wood fell into the hole. It was Kang’s first career albatross on the KPGA Tour.
It’s been a year and 10 months since the KPGA Tour has seen an albatross since Moon Moon-jun (42) made one at the Bizplay-Electronic Newspaper Open in September 2022.
Kang received an annual pass to the resort from Gunsan CC as a reward for his albatross.
“At first, I didn’t know I played Albert Ross, but it feels good. This year, I’m showing my ‘jingimyeonggi’ with a hole-in-one and an albatross,” he said.
Kang shot a total of 3-under par, including three strokes off one hole with an Albert, to join a seven-man group in second place (12-under par 204). He played through a sudden stomach ache during the day.
Kim Min-kyu (23), who has the only two wins on the KPGA Tour this year, including a victory at the 66th Korea Open at Kolon, was also in the group.