‘Unknown’ Baek Seok-hyeon (33, Hussem) was tied for the lead until the 3rd round in the Korea Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour SK Telecom Open (total prize money of 1.3 billion won).
Baek Seok-hyun faltered with a 1-over-par 72 in the third round of the third day of the tournament held at the Pinx Golf Club (par 71, 7326 yards) in Seogwipo, Jeju on the 20th.
Baek Seok-hyun, who was leading by three strokes until the second round, forgot one stroke that day, but recorded a total of 11 under par and 202 strokes, putting his name on the joint lead with Choi Ho-seong (50, Geumgang House), who is famous for his angler swing.
Baek Seok-hyun, who immigrated to Thailand when he was in middle school, made his professional debut on the Asian Tour in 2008, and then worked mainly on the Asian Tour, Japan Tour, and Thailand Tour. He even had five wins during the Thailand tour.
Since then, he has been active on the Korean Tour in earnest since 2021, and he took the opportunity to win his first victory in his home country. Baek Seok-hyun’s best personal record on the Korean Tour was a tie for 7th at last year’s Asiad CC Busan Open.
Baek Seok-hyun, who caught his first birdie on the 5th hole (par 3), slowed down by making consecutive bogeys on the 6th and 7th holes. Afterwards, while on a par save march, he recorded a bogey on the 14th hole (par 4) and was pushed back in the rankings, but finished the third round with a tie for first place with a birdie on the last hole 18 (par 4).
Baek Seok-hyun said, “It was a long day because the game didn’t go well.”
Ahead of the final round, he said, “I will solve the game according to the calculated hole strategy,” and “I want to play happily and happily.”
He continued, “I got married in December 2022, and this is the first time I’ve been caught on the air. I’m happy to show my wife and mother-in-law that ‘I am this kind of person’.”
Veteran Choi Ho-seong also cut 4 strokes on the day, seizing the opportunity to add another win 12 years after winning the 2011 Lake Hills Open. Choi Ho-seong is recording two wins on the KPGA stage, including the 2008 Hana Tour Championship and the Lake Hills Open.
Lee Tae-hoon (33, DB Insurance) from Canada was in third place by one stroke (10 under par, 203 strokes), and Lee Tae-hee (39, OK Savings Bank) and others were tied for fourth place.
Choi Kyung-ju, who passed the cut the day before, cut 4 strokes in the 3rd round and was ranked tied for 15th place with a total of 5 under par 208 strokes. Choi Kyung-ju, who holds the record for the most SK Telecom Open wins (three times), showed off her presence by reducing the number of strokes in the third round.
Choi Kyung-ju, who caught his first birdie on the 4th hole (par 5), finished the first half with a par save and regained his strength by entering the hole in the second half. After recording birdies on the 11th hole (par 4) and 13th hole (par 4), he added a birdie on the 16th hole (par 5).
He is doing well in the domestic competition he participated in for the first time this year, and after finishing the third round, he said, “It was a day that went well overall,” and “I was a little disappointed with the putt.”메이저놀이터
He continued, “My putt at a distance of about 4 to 5 meters was not good. I saved a par, but I was able to reduce about 3 strokes more. Still, I was satisfied with not bogeying two days in a row, and I enjoyed playing today.”
Having suffered from jet lag, he cited pork belly as the secret to recovering his stamina. Choi Kyung-joo laughed and said, “We talked about it yesterday, but I had pork belly for dinner to replenish my stamina.
Defending champion Kim Bio (33, Hoban Construction) also placed shoulder to shoulder with Choi Kyung-ju in a tie for 15th place.