Bae Yongjun Wins in Second Playoff... Claims First Stroke-Play Title

Defeats Jang Yubin and Jeong Jaehyun at the Lexus Masters
First win of the season and third career victory; KRW 200 million in prize money
Song Minhyeok finishes fourth, Jeong Chanmin seventh, Shin Sanghoon 35th

Bae Yongjun claimed his first stroke-play title.

On Nov. 1, Bae carded an even-par 71 in the final round of the Lexus Masters, a Korean PGA Tour event with a total purse of KRW 1 billion, at the Ocean Course at Club72 Country Club in Incheon (par 71, 7,076 yards). He finished tied with Jang Yubin and Jeong Jaehyun at 12-under 272, then made the winning birdie in the second playoff, which resumed on the 18th hole (par 5). It was his third career win on the Korean PGA Tour, earning him KRW 200 million in prize money.

Bae had previously won the Honors K·Solago CC Han Jang-sang Invitational in 2022 and the KPGA Classic in 2025, both played under the modified Stableford format. He savored his first victory in a stroke-play tournament.

Bae Yongjun celebrates after making the winning birdie on the second playoff hole at the Lexus Masters. Photo courtesy of KPGA.

Bae began the day with a four-shot lead and traded two birdies and two bogeys. He briefly relinquished the lead with bogeys on the fourth hole (par 4) and 12th hole (par 3), but changed the momentum with his first birdie of the day on the 13th (par 5). He then shaved another stroke off his score on the 15th (par 4) and finished the round tied for the lead.

Bae, Jang and Jeong all made birdies in the first playoff on the 18th hole, leaving the contest undecided. In the second playoff on the same hole, Bae hit his third shot to within 30 centimeters of the cup and was the only player to make birdie. Jang and Jeong both missed their birdie putts.

Speaking after his victory, Bae said with a broad smile, "I struggled early, but things went well on the back nine," adding, "I'm even happier because this is my first win in a stroke-play tournament." He said, "It was tough because I missed a lot of short putts, but I think staying focused on the process helped me win. Switching to a longer putter paid off. It was also good to use a mini driver today."

Jang and Jeong both fired five-under 66s to finish tied for second. Although he missed out on the title, Jang moved up from third to second in the Genesis Grand Prize points standings and retained his lead in the season money rankings. Song Minhyeok finished fourth at nine-under 275; Lee Sanghee and Park Junhong tied for fifth at eight-under 276; and Jeong Chanmin tied for seventh at seven-under 277. Shin Sanghoon finished tied for 35th at even-par 284. He ranks first in the Grand Prize points standings.

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