First win in 2 years, 11 months; edges Shin Sang-hun by one stroke
54-hole record tied; Jung moves to 2nd in Genesis Points standings
Long hitter Jung Chan-min (27, CJ Group) powered through a torrential downpour to claim a wire-to-wire victory at the KPGA Tour The Charity Classic, earning his third career title. The tournament carried a purse of 1 billion won ($742,000).
Jung shot a 4-over-par 76 in the final round Sunday at Seowon Valley Country Club's Valley-Seowon course (par 72) in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, carding one birdie, three bogeys and a double bogey. His 72-hole total of 19-under-par 269 was enough to hold off Shin Sang-hun (18-under 270) by one stroke and claim his first win of the season. The winner's share was 200 million won.
The victory came 2 years, 11 months and 13 days after his previous win at the 2023 Golfzon-Toray Open. Jung had claimed his first KPGA title at the 2023 GS Caltex MK Open, and after finishing runner-up twice this year — at the Golfzon Open and the KPGA Founders Cup — he now has three career victories.
Jung had held the outright lead for three consecutive days, firing rounds of 9-under 63, 8-under 64 and 6-under 66. His 54-hole total of 23-under 193 tied the all-time KPGA Tour record for the lowest score through 54 holes. The wire-to-wire win is the second of the season on the KPGA Tour, following Yang Ji-ho's victory at the Korea Open.
The final round, however, was far from smooth. Jung dropped his first shot of the day with a bogey on the par-4 8th hole, then wobbled further with a double bogey on the par-4 10th. Play was suspended due to heavy rain at 1:22 p.m. and resumed at 3 p.m., but Jung gave another shot back with a bogey on the par-5 11th, cutting his lead over the chasing pack to two strokes.
He made his only birdie of the day on the par-3 13th, only to drop another shot with a bogey on the par-5 16th. With Shin Sang-hun and Kim Baek-jun both two strokes back, Shin birdied the 18th to pull within one. Jung held his nerve, finishing the final hole with a par to seal the win.
"Winning wire-to-wire here, just as I did at the 2023 GS Caltex MK Open, makes me feel how hard I've worked," Jung said. "It feels like proof that the effort I put in was never wasted time."
The victory added 1,000 Genesis Points to Jung's tally, lifting him to second place in the season standings with 4,744.77 points. Shin Sang-hun leads with 4,807.94 points, while Jang Yu-bin sits third with 4,512.08. Jung ranks fourth in season earnings with 550.73 million won and first in scoring average at 69.4444 strokes per round.
"My goal has shifted to the Genesis Award," Jung said, adding that he plans to fly to the United States on Nov. 24 regardless of whether he wins the season title to compete in the second stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School. He is targeting a spot on the Korn Ferry Tour through the qualifying process.
Meanwhile, Kim Baek-jun, who finished in sole third place, secured the last available berth in the Genesis Championship with a Genesis Points ranking of 36th (1,518.61 points). The top 36 players in the standings at the conclusion of this tournament qualify for the Genesis Championship, which opens Thursday.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
