Rallies from 0-3 down to beat Im Jeong-suk 4-3 in final
'There were times I hated billiards and wanted to quit'
Father Kim Byeong-ho also won PBA title in inaugural season
Kim Bo-mi (27, NH NongHyup Card) claimed her first LPBA title on Sunday, seven years after turning professional. Her father, Kim Byeong-ho (53), is also a PBA champion, making them the first father-daughter pair to hold titles in the men's and women's tours.
Kim defeated Im Jeong-suk (Crown Haitai) 4-3 in sets (4-11, 10-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-2, 9-5) in the LPBA final of the 2026-2027 season's fifth tour event — the "Jigeum Jal Saneun Bangbeop ZGM NH NongHyup Card PBA-LPBA Championship" — held at the PBA Stadium in Kintex, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
Im had looked on course for a sixth career title. She won the first set 11-4 on the strength of a seven-point run in the second inning, then came from 2-10 down to take the second 11-10, and closed out the third 11-4 to lead 3-0.
But Kim fought back from the brink. She took the fourth set 11-9 and the fifth 11-8 to pull level at 3-2, then dominated the sixth — scoring nine points in the opening inning alone — to win it 11-2 and level the match. In the deciding seventh set, Kim led from the start and closed out a stunning comeback with a 9-5 victory.
Kim, who debuted when the professional billiards league launched in the 2019-2020 season, finally tasted victory in her 63rd tour event over seven years and four months as a pro. She had reached the final three times before, finishing runner-up on each occasion, but prevailed on her fourth attempt. She is the 19th different champion in LPBA history.
The victory made Kim Bo-mi and her father Kim Byeong-ho the first father-daughter pair to win PBA and LPBA titles. Kim Byeong-ho won the "Welcome Savings Bank WelBank PBA Championship" in the 2019-2020 inaugural season of the professional tour. His daughter lifted the women's trophy roughly six years and nine months after he claimed the men's title.
Speaking immediately after her win, Kim reflected on a difficult journey. "There were times I really hated billiards and thought about quitting," she said. "This victory feels like a reward for all the training and hard work I've put in up to now. I'm truly happy."
Kim took home prize money of 40 million won ($30,200) and 20,000 ranking points, vaulting from 24th to third place in the season standings with 23,800 points.
The "Welcome Top Ranking" award, given to the player with the highest average at the tournament, went to Han Seul-gi, who posted an average of 2.273 in the round of 64. She received prize money of 2 million won.
The men's PBA semifinals and final take place Monday, the last day of the tournament. Lee Sang-dae faces David Martinez of Spain at 12:30 p.m., followed by Jo Geon-hwi against Antonio Montes of Spain at 3:30 p.m., with the two winners meeting in the final at 9 p.m. The men's champion will receive prize money of 100 million won.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
