Korean Chanmin Jung completed a shock wire-to-wire victory in the Maekyung Open on Sunday, establishing him as one of his country’s stars of the future.

He shot a final-round five-under 66 for a tournament total of 16-under and a commanding six-shot victory at Namseoul Country Club, in Seoul.

Korea’s Minhyuk Song, an amateur, and Junghwan Lee tied for second following rounds of 64 and 70 respectively, in an event reduced to 54 holes after Saturday’s third round was cancelled because of poor weather and a waterlogged course.

Their compatriots Jaekyeong Lee (66) and Eunshin Park (67) tied for fourth, one shot back, while defending champion Bio Kim, also from Korea, finished in a tie for sixth, an additional stroke behind, following a 70.

Until this week, Jung was best known as one of the biggest hitters in Korea — he topped the driving distance stats on the Korean PGA Tour last year — and had only finished in the top 10 twice in domestic events since turning professional three years ago.

That all changed this week with an inspired and unexpected victory, that has helped him live up to his nickname the ‘Korean Hulk’.

He led after the opening day with a 63 and had a two-shot advantage after his second round 68, which he started Sunday’s round with after Saturday was washed out.

A brilliant front nine of five-under, with an eagle — the result of holing his bunker shot on the par-five fourth — and three birdies, put him six ahead at the turn, before he stylishly closed out the event with nine straight pars on the second half.

“I won a big tournament wire to wire, so I feel good,” said the 23 year old, who won $222,222.

“I sensed the victory with an eagle on the fourth hole. After that, I felt at ease. I used my driver on nine holes today, I used it often because I was confident.

“My putting has changed a lot, I had a lot of worries before, but it’s solved, the anxiety is gone.”

The next event on the Asian Tour will also be staged in the Land of Morning Calm, with the Kolon Korea Open to be played at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, from June 22-25.

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Korean Chanmin Jung said his aim was to win this week at the Maekyung Open after taking the first-round lead with an eight-under-par 63.

On Friday, he showed he has every intention of doing just that after recovering from double-bogey on the first hole to card a 68 to retain the lead — on a gloomy and rainy day at Namseoul Country Club, on the south-east side Seoul.

He’s 11-under for the Asian Tour event, two ahead of compatriot Junghwan Lee, who carded a 66, and four ahead of Yubin Jang (64), an amateur, Taeyang Jung (65), and Bio Kim (68), the defending champion and expert navigator of Namseoul.

How it stands after Round 2 of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open??https://t.co/QQChqRrghk #MaekyungOpen #whereitsAT pic.twitter.com/TIkWYMPMLP

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) May 5, 2023

Unheralded Chanmin Jung, aged 23, has only been a professional for three years and in that time has recorded two top 10s on the Korean PGA Tour.

However, his unrivalled power off the tee — he was ranked first in driving distance in Korea last year and is known as the ‘Korean Hulk’, also because he is a big unit — has made him a potential star of the future and he is starting to show that this week.   

He dropped one more shot after his poor opening hole but made six birdies, including on the infamous par-four 18th, where the tee shot is tight, and the green requires maximum concentration.

Said the Korean: “I hooked my tee shot badly to the left on the first hole, so I started with a double-bogey and tried to settle my mind. Fortunately, I had birdies on the fourth and seventh hole and it led to a good result.

“The secret to finishing three-under today was not to use the driver as much as possible. I hit fairway woods and irons off the tee, when I could. I’m trying to play smart golf now, not only hit the ball a long distance.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the gallery on the weekend; I actually like to get the attention and I’ll have a good time with the golf fans on the weekend. My strategy this weekend is to persevere and wait for an opportunity.”

Lee’s round was very much a tale of two halves: he began on the 10th and went out in one-over, but danced round the next nine in six-under, thanks to six birdies in his last seven.

“The beginning didn’t go well,” he said. “But I was able to relax later and get the putter going.”

The prospect of more bad weather at the weekend does not concern him.

He added: “It’s not just one person who’s struggling, it’s hard for every player. I think I can play calmly without losing my concentration. I like difficult conditions more than easy ones. I’m not used to it, but I just like it. I think it’s good to be in the lead under those conditions.”

Bio Kim, despite not being at his best this season, is once again in contention here in an event he also won in 2012 and has been close to winning on many other occasions — including in 2007 when, in his in debut on the Asian Tour, he tied for fourth as an amateur.

“You know it is a good result and I did shoot a good number,” said the 32-year-old, who finished second on last year’s Asian Tour Order of Merit.

“However, I was playing very well going into No. 4, which is my 13th hole, but from there I was just missing all my good opportunities. I just really couldn’t get something going on my back nine, but I finished with a birdie on the last, so hopefully that good momentum is still going for the weekend.”

Unlike Lee, he is not looking forward to the bad weather.

He said: “I’m not very comfortable, you know, because it’s already a tough golf course. And wind, chilly conditions and rain doesn’t really help the players, but you know, it is what it is and just got to get through it. Hopefully, I stay warm and drain some putts.”

Jang, winner of five amateur events including last year’s World University Golf Championships in Italy, impressively made nine birdies today for the joint lowest round of the day, with Australian Kevin Yuan.

“This is my third Maekyung Open appearance, and I’m glad I did well,” said the amateur star.

“I started well in 2021, but I collapsed in the third and final rounds. I want to show a different side of me this time.”

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Chanmin Jung, a strapping big-hitter appropriately known as the “Korean Hulk”, came close to matching the 22-year-old course record at Namseoul Country Club in the Maekyung Open today after taking the lead with a stunning eight-under-par 63.

The eye-catching performance gave him the first-round lead in the Asian Tour’s first visit of the year to Korea and was just two shy of the record set by Chinese-Taipei’s Chung Chun-hsing in 2001.

His countryman Kyongjun Moon, the winner here in 2015, ended the day in second after a 65 while Argentina’s Miguel Carballo also made relatively light work of the famous Namseoul track shooting a 66.

Defending champion Bio Kim from Korea was in a group of seven players tied for fourth after 67s.

Jung, just 23 and playing in what is one the nation’s most prestigious events for the first time as a professional, finished in a blaze of glory by eagling the par-five ninth, having started his round on 10. He hit a seven iron over 200 yards to seven feet to make a three, having earlier carded seven birdies and a bogey.

“It’s a good day. It ended unexpectedly well, I am surprised,” said the Korean, a professional for three years, having been part of Korea’s national amateur team.

“The green speed certainly wasn’t slow, I was nervous over the putts and had to be careful. Fortunately, the putter and shot making were working well today.”

He is looking for his first good result on Tour.

“The goal is to win. When I was an amateur, I felt that it was more about how you played and not just the result. After turning professional, I learned it is more about the result.”

Moon birdied four of the last five holes to make a fine start to an event that means so much to him.

“I have amazing memories of my win here in 2015, and always enjoy coming back to Namseoul,” he said. “It was nice to finish well.”

Veteran Carballo, aged 44, is relishing being among the frontrunners, having missed five out of eight cuts this season, although he played well in the International Series Qatar in February when he tied for eighth.

“I played solid, very, very good today. The putter was working on the back nine. I hit it close all day, so just had short putts,” said the Argentine, who is no stranger to success on the Asian Tour having won the Indonesian Open in 2019, the year he also claimed the second of his Asian Development Tour titles.

“It’s my first time here. It’s a long course for walking. You have to find the fairway with your driver here, it’s the most important thing. And the greens are difficult, they are fast,” he added.

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