Kim Kyung-Tae topped the leaderboard in Seoul at 21-under-par (AFP)
Red-hot Kim Kyung-Tae claimed a second GS Caltex Maekyung Open crown Sunday on home soil after carding a final-round six-under-par 66 to complete a dominant eight-shot victory in Seoul.
Red-hot Kim Kyung-Tae claimed a second GS Caltex Maekyung Open crown Sunday on home soil after carding a final-round six-under-par 66 to complete a dominant eight-shot victory in Seoul.
After finishing runner-up last year, the South Korean and 2007 champion posted the biggest winning margin in the 30th edition of the tournament after topping the leaderboard at 21-under-par.
The comprehensive victory at Namseoul Golf & Country Club moved Kim into second place on the OneAsia Order of Merit behind Indonesia PGA Championship winner Andre Stolz.
Fellow Korean Kim Hyung-Sung matched Kim Kyung-Tae's feat of posting back-to-back rounds of 66 over the weekend to claim second place alongside another Korean, Cho Min-Gyu, who closed with a 68.
"Last year I did not win, but before this season I set my goal to win in Korea and I am delighted to be able to win this event for the second time," said the newly crowned Kim Kyung-Tae.
"It was difficult at the start of the second round because the players behind me made some early birdies, but I was then able to start putting better and managed to make some birdies myself."
The 24-year-old, who started the week as world number 37, began the final day with a six-shot advantage and continued to shine on another sun-drenched day in the hills surrounding Seoul.
He enjoyed a run of four birdies in six holes after the turn to propel him to glory.
Defending champion Kim Dae-Hyun failed to mount a fourth-round challenge after struggling to a level par 72 and eventually finished 13 shots adrift of the winner.
Kim Hyung-Sung conceded a costly third bogey of the day on his penultimate green to miss out on claiming second place outright, but the 30-year-old admitted he was still regaining form after suffering a shoulder injury last year.
"I am very pleased with second place. I putted very well, but all of my putts were inside six yards because my iron play was very strong,'said Kim Hyung-Sung, who moved into third place on the OneAsia Order of Merit.
The next event on OneAsia is the SK Telecom Open at Pinx Golf Club on the island of Jeju, also in South Korea. The tournament will be played from May 19-22 with Korea's Bae Sang-Moon defending the title.
© 2011 AFP/sid
