Published on May 6, 2018

Park Wins GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship


Sanghyun Park of South Korea (Photo; Asian Tour)

Korea’s Sanghyun Park renewed his love affair with the GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship by winning the long-standing event again with a par at the third playoff hole.

Park, who won the event in 2016, had to go the extra distance to lift his sixth professional title after he carded an even par-71 in the final round to force his way into a playoff with compatriots Yikeun Chang, Junggon Hwang, and India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar.

Bhullar threatened to break the dominance of the Koreans at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship which has not welcomed a foreign winner since American Mark Calcavecchia emerged victorious in 2004.

The Indian, who had earlier compiled a four-day total of one-under-par 283, was however, the first player to bow out from the four-man playoff at the first hole.

He conceded the hole after he knew his best effort could only be a bogey while the Koreans had easy par putt chances. Hwang was next to fall out of contention after he carded a bogey while Park and Chang birdied.

Victory soon belonged to Park when Chang was left with an uphill task to sink a 15-foot par putt which he missed while Park made no mistake of his from inside 10 feet at the Namseoul Country Club.

“I’m so pleased with my victory today. It was a hard fought one especially against so many good players. I was feeling confident ahead of the play-off as I was in a similar situation before in 2016 when I won. I thought I could have won it in the first playoff hole when I had a makeable birdie putt but it took me another two more holes to get the job done,” said Park

 

Leading Scores after round 4  

283 – Sanghyun PARK (KOR) 71-70-71-71, Yikeun CHANG (KOR) 73-72-69-69, Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 72-70-71-70, Junggon HWANG (KOR) 71-73-69-70.

*Park won with a birdie on the third play-off hole

284 – Dongmin KIM (am, KOR) 72-69-72-71, Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND) 67-71-74-72, Sanghee LEE (KOR) 73-71-68-72.

285 – John CATLIN (USA) 72-72-71-70.

286 – Dongseop MAENG (KOR) 70-71-75-70, Seungbo JANG (am, KOR) 71-72-71-72, Dongha LEE 562 (KOR) 68-68-75-75.

287 – Hyunwoo RYU (KOR) 70-74-73-70, J.B. PARK (KOR) 68-74-74-71, Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) 69-70-74-74, Phachara KHONGWATMAI (THA) 71-72-70-74.

288 – K.T. KIM (KOR) 72-70-74-72, Soonsang HONG (KOR) 74-71-71-72, Giwhan KIM (KOR) 71-72-72-73, Heungchol JOO (KOR) 68-70-75-75.

289 – Jinho CHOI (KOR) 71-75-73-70, Seungtaek LEE (KOR) 73-70-75-71, Suradit YONGCHAROENCHAI (THA) 76-71-70-72, Carlos PIGEM (ESP) 73-71-72-73, Minchel CHOI (KOR) 74-70-72-73, Kyungnam KANG (KOR) 73-71-71-74.

290 – Younghan SONG (KOR) 70-73-76-71, Changwon HAN (KOR) 74-73-72-71, Junsung KIM (KOR) 71-73-77-69.

291 – Y. E. YANG (KOR) 71-76-73-71, Sunghyun OH (am, KOR) 71-71-76-73, Casey O’TOOLE (USA) 72-73-73-73, Shiv KAPUR (IND) 69-72-74-76.