The Professional Billiards Association (PBA), led by President Yoon Young-dal, announced Thursday that the 2026-2027 season's third tour — the SY PBA-LPBA Championship — will be held at the PBA Stadium in Kintex, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, from Sunday through Aug. 3, spanning nine days.
The tournament opens 45 days after the conclusion of the season's second tour, the High1 Resort PBA-LPBA Championship. At that event, Kim Young-won of Harim defeated Ngo Dinh Nai of Vietnam, representing Huons, to claim his fourth career title, while Sruong Pheavy of Cambodia, representing Woori Financial Capital, edged out Kim Ga-young of Hana Card to reach 10 career victories.
On the men's side, attention turns to whether a new champion will emerge. The SY PBA Championship has produced a first-time winner in each of the past two seasons. At the 2024-25 edition held in Hanoi, Vietnam, Spanish legend Daniel Sanchez of Welcome Savings Bank lifted his first PBA title, and last season veteran Lee Seung-jin claimed his first professional title.
The women's draw tells a different story: Kim Ga-young has won the SY LPBA Championship in each of the past two years. In the 2024-25 season, she defeated Kim Se-yeon of Huons in the final to launch an eight-consecutive-win streak. Last season she overcame Sruong to secure her 16th career title. Whether Kim can extend her dominance — or a rival will finally unseat her — is one of the tournament's central storylines.
Competition begins Sunday with the LPBA qualifying round, followed by the round of 128 and round of 64 on Monday. The opening ceremony takes place Wednesday, the third day of the event, marking the start of the main draw. The LPBA final is scheduled for Aug. 2, and the PBA final — with a top prize of 100 million won ($67,800) — closes out the tournament on Aug. 3.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
