Shin Sang-hoon (28, PXG) is heading into the second half of the 2026 KPGA Tour season with a clear goal: secure his third career victory after falling short in the first half.
Shin entered all 10 tournaments held so far this season and made the cut in every one, finishing the first half ranked fifth in Genesis Points (2,416.94 points) and 14th in prize money with 202,053,518 won ($142,000). His best result was a third-place finish at the KPGA Founders Cup.
He also posted a share of fourth at the 2026 Woori Financial Group Championship, a share of fifth at the KPGA Classic with Aimvita, and a share of seventh at the 69th KPGA Championship with A-ONE CC — placing in the top 10 in four of his 10 starts.
Shin was discharged from mandatory military service on June 10, 2025, and is now playing his first full season back on tour. "When I was in the military I couldn't pick up a club, so I played a round every time I got leave," he said. "This is my first season after discharge, and I'm glad I've been putting up consistent results. Making the cut every week and playing through to the final round each time seems to have helped me get my competitive feel back quickly."
Shin made his KPGA Tour debut in 2020 and claimed his first title in 2022 at the 65th KPGA Championship with A-ONE CC, one of the most prestigious events in Korean golf. He then won his second career title at the LG Signature Players Championship — the last event he entered before enlisting in 2023 — after a three-hole playoff, before stepping away from the tour for military service.
Winning a third KPGA Tour title is one of his stated goals for the second half of the season. He departed for the United States on Sunday, saying, "I'll take care of the Korn Ferry Tour first." He added: "I don't tend to have big emotional swings during a round — not worrying too much about the result on each hole seems to help. I believe that if I keep playing the way I have been, the moment I win again will come."
Shin earned a spot in the Korn Ferry Tour's Albertsons Boise Open as one of two players awarded a special exemption for finishing among the top Genesis Points earners at the midseason mark. The tournament runs Thursday through Sunday at Hillcrest Country Club in Boise, Idaho.
With Shin building on a successful return from military service, attention is turning to whether he can lift a third career trophy in the second half of the season.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
