Yang Ji Ho, 34, has lifted the trophy with his wife again. This time in Japan.
Yang carded an eagle, five birdies and a bogey in the final round of the Hana Bank Invitational, co-sanctioned by the Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour and Japan Professional Golf Tour (JGTO), at the par-73 Chiba Sumi-Golf Club in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, on Monday.
His final total of 20-under-par 272 gave him a one-stroke victory over Keita Nakajima (JPN). As the tournament was co-organized with the JGTO, the winner will also receive a two-year JGTO Tour seeding. The prize money is 200 million won.
It was his second victory in about a year and two months, having won his first at the KB Financial Live Championship last year. In his first victory, his wife caddied for him.
On the 18th hole, when Yang was about to hit his second shot with a fairway wood, his caddie suggested he use an iron to make a safe break. He even took the wood away from him and handed him an iron. The safe approach paid off and Yang won the tournament, and he thanked his caddie.
Once again, she was a big help. “After winning last year, I felt greedy and overwhelmed. Golf is not supposed to be greedy, but my greed made me angry. I missed the cut or finished in the middle of the pack. I was also told that the win was a fluke, which hurt. At that time, my wife told me, “You have to believe in your abilities,” and “Winning is not for everyone. With this win, I feel like I’ve become a ‘winning player’,” he said.
“I have a habit of shaking my head a lot when I’m under mental pressure during a match. I thought it was a habit I needed to change and my wife kept telling me about it during the match. I paid attention to it and tried to fix it, and it’s actually getting better. I would like to thank my wife for accepting me whenever I am sensitive and grumpy during the match, and I didn’t express it well, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank her and tell her that I love her. I would like to buy her a nice watch.”
Yang Ji Ho said, “The Japan Tour has been my dream stage since I was a kid, so I’ve tried and failed. This year, I plan to focus on the Korean Tour first, and from next season, I plan to combine the Korean Tour with the Japanese Tour while watching the tour schedule.”스포츠토토
Kim’s wife, Kim Yoo-jung, said, “Many people tell me that my husband’s golf has stabilized since we got married and he has been able to win tournaments. My husband was always a good golfer, but I don’t think he was able to improve because he didn’t have a sense of stability. After we got married, he seemed to have a sense of stability, which led to his victory. She applauded her husband, saying, “After winning last year, he was struggling with his performance, and I kept telling him not to do bad habits on the course.
Behind Yang, Keita finished runner-up at 19-under par 273, while Taihei Sato (JPN) was third at 18-under par 274. Jang Dong-kyu (KOR) was fourth at 17-under par 275. Younghan Song (KOR) tied for eighth at 14-under par 278.