Kim Woo-hyun edged out a playoff to win the KPGA Winter Tour's second tournament at Phoenix Bangkok.
Kim Woo-hyun, the South Korean pro, relied on his composure to defeat Kim Jun-seung and Park Ji-min by making a birdie on the 18th hole, a par 5. After 36 holes, all three were tied at 8 under par 132. Kim claimed the KPGA Winter Tour's second title along with a prize of 1.5 million baht. The tournament was played in stroke play format over two days and 36 holes, held from 12-13 February at the Phoenix Gold Bangkok course, a par 70 in Thailand.
In the first round's leaderboard chase, Park Jun-hong led with a total score of 6 under par 64, followed by Park Ji-min at 5 under par 65. Ahn Jun-hwang, Lee Hyun-joon, and Moon Jun-hyuk were tied with scores of 4 under par 66.
On the final day, Kim Woo-hyun started with a 3 under par 67, trailing the leader by three strokes. He then shot a second-round 5 under par 67 for a total of 8 under par 132, matching Kim Jun-seung, who also scored 5 under par 65 today, and Park Ji-min, who added 3 under par 67. This tie led to a hole-by-hole playoff to decide the champion.
The championship was decided quickly after the first playoff hole when Kim Jun-seung and Park Ji-min both made par saves. Kim Woo-hyun then had a chance to birdie and successfully did so, securing the victory.
Tied for fourth place were Lee Hyung-joon and Kim Chan-woo with scores of 7 under par 133. Meanwhile, Hwang In-chun and Park Jun-hong shared sixth place with totals of 6 under par 134.
The champion expressed his happiness with the achievement, noting that after a poor performance at the first event, he was able to come back strong and succeed in the second. He also felt that the course was easier to play today compared to previous tournaments. He plans to focus primarily on the KPGA this year and hopes to perform well throughout the season.
