Park Ki-ho (51), who made a name for himself as an unknown underdog, won the third event of the Dream Tour, the PBA's second division.
In the final of the 2026-2027 PBA Dream Tour third event, held Tuesday at the Goyang Kintex PBA Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Park defeated Choi Yeon-gil by a set score of 3-1 (13-15, 15-13, 15-10, 15-1).
The victory earned Park the Dream Tour winner's prize of 10 million won ($6,750) and 10,000 ranking points, vaulting him from 69th place (250 points) to second (10,250 points) in the season standings.
Park debuted in the 21-22 season on the Challenge Tour, the PBA's third division, winning the fourth event of that season and earning promotion to the top tour. He went on to reach the semifinals at the fourth tour event (SY Championship) and the eighth tour event (Welcome Savings Bank Championship) in the 23-24 season, drawing wide attention as an unknown player shaking up the field. He became particularly well known for balancing his billiards career with work at construction sites.
Last season, however, Park finished only 66th in the points rankings and was sent to Q-School, the promotion-relegation qualifier, which he skipped — resulting in his demotion to the Dream Tour. He fell in the round of 64 at the first event and the round of 256 at the second, but his third-event title has set him up for a return to the top tour.
After the victory, Park said he is "still working at construction sites while playing billiards," and added that he hopes to cut back on his day job next season to put in more practice time. "My best result on the top tour has been a semifinal finish, so next season I want to make it to the final and win," he said.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
