Jang Yubin, Return of the King... First Victory in 1 Year and 8 Months

Clinches KPGA Classic with Imbita by 4-Point Margin

Returns to Domestic Tour after LIV Golf, Securing Fourth Career Win

Park Eunshin Finishes Second, Yu Songgyu Third, Song Minhyeok Fourth

Jang Yubin has secured his first victory since returning to LIV Golf.

On June 14, at Cypress Golf & Resort (par 72) in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, he recorded 1 eagle, 4 birdies, and 3 bogeys in the final round of the KPGA Tour KPGA Classic with Imbita (total prize money: 700 million won), finishing with a 3-under-par 69 and earning 10 points. Jang Yubin accumulated a total of 49 points, beating Park Eunshin (45 points) by a margin of 4 points. This marks his fourth career victory and his first in 1 year and 8 months since the Baeksong Holdings Asiad CC Busan Open in October 2024. The winner’s prize is 140 million won.

Jang Yubin is kissing the trophy right after winning the KPGA Classic with I’m Vita. Courtesy of KPGA

Jang Yubin, a former national team member, won the gold medal in the team event at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, which was held in 2023. In the 2024 KPGA Tour, he claimed two victories and became a six-time winner, topping categories such as the grand prize and prize money. Having dominated the domestic scene, Jang Yubin advanced to the LIV Golf tour for the 2025 season but failed to secure his seed, returning to the domestic tour this year. His best result prior to this win was a tie for second at last month's Woori Financial Championship.

This tournament used a modified Stableford scoring system, where ranks are determined by the total points awarded for each hole: albatross 8 points, eagle 5 points, birdie 2 points, par 0 points, bogey -1 point, and double bogey or worse -3 points.

Starting the final round with a 5-point lead, Jang Yubin pulled further ahead with an eagle on the 5th hole (par 5) and a birdie on the 6th hole (par 4), distancing himself from his rivals. Although he stumbled with bogeys on the 11th and 15th holes (both par 4), he secured three consecutive pars from holes 16 to 18 to clinch the win. Jang Yubin expressed his joy, saying, "There were tough times after returning, but I'm grateful that I could win with a good result. This victory has given me the confidence that I can do even better moving forward."

Park Eunshin also put up a strong fight, earning 11 points with 7 birdies and 3 bogeys. Yu Songgyu added 7 points to finish third (40 points). Song Minhyeok took fourth (38 points), while Shin Sanghoon and Choi Chaneun shared fifth place (35 points). Choi Mincheol finished eighth (33 points), Park Seongje ninth (32 points), and Cho Wooyoung tied for tenth (30 points). Defending champion Bae Yongjun finished tied for 48th (13 points).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.