Kim Joo-hyung Secures Gold with Impressive Swing… First Men's Individual Golf Gold in 16 Years

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In men's golf, Kim Joo-hyung clinched a gold medal in his first Asian Games appearance. He finished three strokes ahead of the chasing pack in the individual event, claiming South Korea's first men's individual gold medal in 16 years.

Reporter Ha Seong-yong has the story from the scene.

[Reporter]

As the biggest star among the competitors with four PGA Tour titles, Kim started the final round with a one-stroke lead and steadily widened the gap with brilliant shots.

On the par-3 4th hole, he drew gasps from the crowd with a stunning chip-in birdie, and consistently landed his iron shots close to the pin, cutting four strokes just on the front nine.

He maintained his momentum on the back nine, with the par-5 13th hole being the absolute highlight.

His second shot with an iron landed exquisitely one meter from the pin, and after sealing it with an eagle, he clenched his fist in triumph.

By sinking an eagle on the 13th hole for the second consecutive day and widening his lead to four strokes, Kim finished at 18-under-par, beating the runner-up group by three strokes to claim the top spot.

Overcoming a grueling schedule by flying straight from the United States to Japan without even adjusting to the jet lag, Kim captured South Korea's first men's gold medal in 16 years. He wrapped himself in the Taegeukgi and reveled in the joy as he was drenched in water.

[Kim Joo-hyung / National Men's Golf Team: I think this has been the longest week of my life. I honestly haven't been able to sleep comfortably for a single night for a really long time, and I am so grateful that it ended like this with a gold medal.]

Having earned military service exemptions to ensure the stable continuation of his PGA Tour career, Kim vowed to now set his sights on the Los Angeles Olympics.

[I hope I never forget the mindset I had this week for the rest of my life. I am so grateful for the Asian Games gold medal, but starting tomorrow, I'll enjoy it only until today and now aim for an Olympic gold medal.]

In the team event, which combines the scores of the top two players per round, Kim partnered with Moon Do-yeob and Kim Seong-hyeon to win a silver medal. Having secured two medals, Kim completely washed away the tears of regret he shed after missing out on a podium finish at the Paris Olympics two years ago, welcoming the greatest moment of his life.

(Camera Reporter: Park Jin-ho, Video Editor: Lee Jae-sung, Designer: Jeon Yu-geun)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.