Reservist Shin Sanghoon Clinches Playoff Victory... Celebrates Third Career Win in Three Years

Defeats Chanmin Jeong at Golfzon Open
Clinches playoff win with birdie on second extra hole
Returns this season after completing military service

Reservist Sanghoon Shin has achieved his third career victory.

On September 20, at the Golfzon County Sunsan (par 71) in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, Sanghoon Shin shot a 2-under-par 69 in the 4th round of the Golfzon Open on the Korea Professional Golfers’ Association (KPGA) Tour (total prize money: KRW 1 billion). After tying with Chanmin Jeong at 16-under-par 268, the playoff continued at the 18th hole (par 5). Shin secured the win with a birdie on the second playoff hole. This marks his third career victory and his first in three years since the 2023 Players Championship. He took home a winner's purse of KRW 200 million.

Following the conclusion of the 2023 season, Shin enlisted as an active-duty soldier and experienced a hiatus. After being discharged in June last year, he returned to the KPGA Tour this season and clinched his first win of the year at his 13th tournament.

Sanghoon Shin is smiling brightly holding the trophy right after winning the Golfzon Open. Photo by KPGA

Shin started the final round tied for the lead with Chanmin Jeong, and carded two birdies without a bogey. He made his first birdie on the 1st hole (par 4), then made par on the next 15 holes, before reducing another stroke with a birdie on the 17th hole (par 3) to force a playoff. The two players each recorded par at the first playoff on the 18th hole, and proceeded to a second playoff, again at the 18th.

In a post-victory interview, Shin said with a smile, “I couldn’t believe I had won until the last putt dropped.” He added, “During my military service, I was frustrated not being able to play in tournaments. I waited patiently, and those precious two years led to today’s good result. There are still many more tournaments to come this year, so I feel I can win even more,” he said with a smile.

With this victory, Shin soared to second place in the Genesis Point standings with 3,597.69 points. As of the end of the Golfzon Open, the top five players in the Genesis Points are exempted from the first stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying School (Q-School) in the United States. Shin is now eligible to participate directly in the second stage of the PGA Tour Q-School, scheduled for December, without going through the first stage.

Jeon Jaehan, Kim Chanwoo, Kim Youngsoo, and Hwang Doyeon finished tied for third at 12-under-par 272. Song Minhyeok and Park Junseop finished tied for seventh at 11-under-par 273, while Kim Hongtaek, Choi Chan, Bae Yongjun, and Jeong Jaehun were among those tied for ninth at 10-under-par 274.

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