Moon bags Maekyung Open title
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Moon Kyong-jun poses with the winner trophy after the final round of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open golf tournament at the Namseoul Country Club near Seoul, Sunday. / AFP-Yonhap
By Nam Hyun-woo
Golfer Moon Kyong-jun claimed the GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship, Sunday, hoisting his first trophy at a KPGA Tour major tournament.
At the Namseoul Country Club in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, the 33-year-old shot a 4-under 284 to rally past four runners-up by two shots. Pocketing 200 million won ($184,060) in winnings, Moon is top of the money ranking with two events held so far this season.
Unlike most other KPGA players who begin their golf early, Moon played tennis until he picked up golf in his college sophomore year. Earning a KPGA membership in 2006, he joined the tour from 2007, but was far from a trophy during the past nine years.
In the second round at the par 72 Namseoul Country Club, however, he sank seven birdies to shoot six under 66, to share the lead with Jason Norris of Australia. Moon yielded top place after losing two shots in the third round, but managed to come from behind in the final round with a 1-over 73, as Norris needed to five more strokes to finish.
Along with Norris, Gareth Paddison and Ryan Fox of New Zealand and Kim Do-hoon shared second place.
Defending champion, Park Jun-won fired a 1-over 289 to settle for eighth.