<Men's Golf> Kim Baek-jun wins his first tour victory at the KPGA Tour opening tournament, the DB Insurance PROMY OPEN

Kim Baek-jun (24), who is in his second year on the tour, won his first victory in the 19th tournament since his professional debut.
The opening round of the KPGA (Korea Professional Golf Association) tour season, "DDB Insurance PROMY" was held at Lavie estbelle Golf & Resort in Chuncheon.
OPEN" (total prize money of 1 billion won/approximately 100 million yen), he recorded a total of 11 under par in the fourth round on the final day, winning the 200 million won (approximately 20 million yen) prize.
Kim Baek-jun, who entered the final round in the exclusive lead by two strokes, was unable to capitalize on his birdie chances until the eighth hole, and was unable to improve his score.
He got his first birdie on the 15th hole and jumped back into the lead in the Exclusive bracket by two strokes, but then three-putted on the 17th hole for a bogey and fell just one stroke behind second place.
However, on the last 18th hole, Kim Baek-jun landed his second shot 1.5 meters from the cup and calmly made the birdie putt to win the championship.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the tournament, which has produced a first-time professional winner for three consecutive years, following Ko Geun-taek (25) in 2023 and Yoon Sang-pil (27) in 2024.
After the match, Kim Baek-jun said, "My goal this season is to win three games and win the grand prize, but I'm happy that I got off to a good start. I will not become arrogant, but will continue to work hard and become a better player."
He added, "I was nervous, but I went into the match thinking, 'The heavens will decide the outcome, so I'll just take it easy and not panic.' Now that the match is over, I feel very relieved."
On the other hand, Shotaro Wada (29), who secured a KPGA Tour seed for the 2025 season, finished in a tie for 20th place. After the match, he said, "I'm satisfied with my first match.
"I will also participate in the next Woori Financial Championship," he said. Also, this week, he will participate in the "Maezawa Cup" on the Japan Tour.
After the match, Go Geun-Taek, who will be competing in the 2025 "Mizunoo Open," said, "I placed second in the Exclusive at the Mizuno Open last year, and this year I will be competing in the Japan-Korea
He said he plans to play in both tournaments, adding, "I am preparing for this tournament with the goal of finishing in the top ten, and I will play in more than 12 matches on the Japan tour this year."