Jung Jae-hyun capped the 2026 season of the Korean Professional Golf (KPGA) Tour with his first victory on the regular tour.
On November 8, at the KPGA Tour Championship held at the Teddy Valley Golf & Resort in Seogwipo, Jeju, Jung shot an 8-under 64 with eight birdies and no bogeys in the final round of the season-ending event, which had a total prize purse of 1.1 billion won.
With a total score of 13-under 275, Jung finished three strokes ahead of second-place Hwang Jae-min, who recorded a score of 10-under 278. Jung took home a prize of 224.8 million won.
Since debuting on the regular tour in 2024, Jung had previously won twice on the second-tier tour but had not secured a victory on the main tour. He had finished as runner-up in the previous event, the Lexus Masters, after losing in a playoff. However, he redeemed himself a week later with a strong performance in the season finale.
Starting the final round tied for second, one stroke behind the leader, Jung made four birdies on the front nine to take the solo lead. He added birdies on the 10th and 12th holes and sealed his victory with birdies on the 15th and 18th holes.
Jung's 8-under 64 tied the course record. Brandon Kewalamani from the U.S. and Kim Hong-taek also shot 64, joining him in the record.
With his victory, Jung earned 1,000 Genesis Award points, moving up to eighth place in the points standings with a total of 3,878.67 points, which also secured him an additional bonus of 18 million won.
Meanwhile, Kim Min-kyu and Jung Han-mil, who both shot 5-under, finished tied for third with a total score of 9-under 279.
This season's Genesis Award went to Shin Sang-hoon. Returning to the tour after completing military service, Shin finished tied for 24th with a total score of 1-over 289 in this tournament but maintained his lead in the points standings with 5,487.15 points, earning him his first Genesis Award.
As the award winner, Shin will receive a bonus of 200 million won, a Genesis vehicle, and a five-year KPGA Tour exemption valid until 2031. He also secured a direct ticket to the final stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying School, which begins on December 10.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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