South Korea’s Song Young-han claimed victory at the Sansan KBC Augusta on Sunday, marking his first JGTO win in seven years.
Song became the only third foreign player to triumph in the Tour’s full-field events this season, following Juvic Pagunsan of the Philippines (Golf Partner Pro-Am Tournament) and Jbe Kruger (Shigeo Nagashima Invitational Sega Sammy Cup).
Even though he held a three-shot lead stepping onto the par-five 18th tee at Keya Golf Club, the 32-year-old encountered a late scare, but a double bogey was nevertheless enough for him to win by one shot from second-placed Ryutaro Nagano.
View this post on Instagram
Song carded a three-under-par 69 in the final round, culminating in a 17-under-par 271 total.
This win ended his frustrating wait for a second triumph, his last being the SMBC Singapore Open in 2016. In that memorable event, he defeated then-world No. 1, Jordan Spieth of the United States by one shot.
It was certainly a well-deserved victory, as Song has been one of the most consistent performers this season. Out of 13 starts, he missed only one cut, securing his best finish—a tied second—at the BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship Mori Building Cup.
View this post on Instagram
Identifying himself as a proud full-fledged JGTO player, Song expressed joy that his persistence finally bore fruit.
“I’m a JGTO player, and I’ve always wanted to win in Japan. It took a while to secure my second victory, but I’m thrilled,” said Song, who speaks fluent Japanese.
Before the final hole’s setback, Song, who started the day sharing the lead with Yusaku Miyazato and Masanori Kobayashi, consistently held his ground. Birdies on the third, fifth, sixth, and eighth holes allowed him to pull clear from the chasing back.
He secured two more shots on the 11th and 13th holes, moving him to 20-under and establishing a five-shot lead. Although Song recorded his first bogey at the par-four 16th, it was hardly seen as a threat to his title march.
Explaining about his 18th hole scare, Song said: ”My tee shot went to the right, and the ball landed in a really bad spot. I had a duffed shot once, then laid up. When I checked the score, I realised I had some leeway, so I hit my fourth shot straight on. I might have been nervous. When I was putting, I didn’t have much of a feel for it.
View this post on Instagram
“I really did great up until the 15th hole. My mood didn’t shift, but in the latter half, the speed of my group slowed down, and it became quite hectic.
“Today, I wanted to play in a way where I don’t lose to myself, where I could conquer my own challenges. I’m happy, but there are still many things to learn from today. I’m glad I won, but it truly was a learning experience.”
Nagano advanced one position from his overnight standing, carding six birdies against three bogeys to finish with a 69.
Both Ryo Katsumata and Taichi Nabetani posted matching 69s, ending two strokes behind at 274, alongside first-round leader Kosuke Suzuki, who tallied a 71.
From the Philippines, Justin De Los Santos recorded his third top-10 finish of the season, sharing seventh place with Tsubasa Ukita (68) and Takumi Kanaya (71), each at 13-under-par overall.
Leading final round scores:
271: Song Young-han (Kor) 68-64-70-69;
272: Ryutaro Nagano 70-66-67-69;
274: Ryo Katsumata 69-67-69-69, Taichi Nabetani 68-66-71-69, Kosuke Suzuki 65-68-70-71;
275: Tsubasa Ukita 71-69-67-68, Justin De Los Santos (Phi) 66-68-71-70, Takumi Kanaya 66-69-69-71;
Ee276: Tomofumi Ouchi 66-69-73-68, Hiroshi Iwata 68-69-70-69, Taisei Shimizu 68-69-69-70.
