Ok Taehoon, the king of no spectators, will be here for an interview on the last day I kept my promiseKPGA Championship Thrilling First Win
Jun 22, 2025
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Ok Tae-hoon would have mixed emotions after the first round of the 68th KPGA Championship with A-ONE CC held at A-One Country Club in Yangsan, Gyeongnam on the 19th.
Ok Tae-hoon had a tremendous eight-under-par game in the first round. 1st place. But I couldn't help but remember just a week ago. Ok Tae-hoon also tied for the lead with 9 under par in the first round at the Hana Bank Invitational. But tied for fifth place.
The pace is the best this year. I did everything except for the victory. I finished second to fifth, so I'm done. The opening DB Insurance Promy Open entered the championship group but failed to win. This means that there was a lack of hindsight. Ok Tae-hoon hit 8 under par in the first round and was designated as an interviewee and said "He did so well in the first round for two consecutive weeks" Shall we go out then?""I'll play well until the end of this tournament." I will definitely come for an interview on the last day," he said proudly.
But did the first-place jinx continue in the first round. Ok Tae-hoon failed to reduce a second round. The other players did not have good scores due to bad weather, so they kept the lead, but from the player's point of view, they must have been anxious.
Still, he finished 3 under par in the 3rd round and tied for 2nd place with a total of 11 under par. Shin Yong-gu at 13-under, Jeon Jae-han at 11-under and Champion Group. Ok Tae-hoon said, `If I join the Champion Group on the last day, I will try to play it comfortably this time. It doesn't work because you're focused. Rather, it was bad to try to be too good. I was stressed out, if not a little. I'm trying to have fun in this tournament."
Did he keep his promise. It was perfect. Ok Tae-hoon scored 9 under par in the final round held on the 22nd, winning the title with emotion with a final total of 20 under par. Kim Min-kyu, who finished second at 17-under par, won the title with ease by three strokes. 9-under par was the best daily record along with Hwang. It was an excellent performance that I would not believe was the result of the nervous player in the last group.
Hole 3 was the beginning of a turnaround. The par-5 third shot is about 65 meters away. I let go of my hand because I felt the wedge shot was pulled. However, the ball that passed the hole cup slightly and fell to the left caught a backspin. The ball exquisitely flowed into the hole and went in. Eagle. Tied for a 14-under-par lead with Shin Yong-gu. The atmosphere quickly flowed toward Ok Tae-hoon. In the next hole tee box, Shin Yong-gu gave Ok Tae-hoon a playful congratulation, and it was a play that was bound to be a huge pressure from Shin Yong-gu's point of view. The two belong to the same Geumgang house.
Ok Tae-hoon, who gained momentum, failed to go on-green due to a missed second shot on the par-4 6th hole, but succeeded in birdie, a picturesque chip, and roared. And with a birdie on the 7th hole, he became 16 under par and succeeded in turning the tables with the lone lead.
From this point on, Ok Tae-hoon's solo atmosphere was inevitably created. Ok Tae-hoon, who made birdies in four consecutive holes from No. 6 to No. 9, secured his first career victory by recording only two birdies without a bogey in the second half. He has won the Asian Tour International Korea title in Jeju Island in 2022, but it is his first time to win the KPGA Tour. Since his professional debut, he has achieved valuable results in 125 competitions, and that was the most prestigious KPGA Championship. Ok Tae-hoon, who received 320 million won in prize money, accumulated 619.45 million won in prize money for the season, and added 1,300 Genesis points to rank first in both categories with 3,940.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
