Park Jeong-hyeon wins LPBA title in first year as pro

Park Jeong-hyeon, 22, a protégé of billiards star Kim Ga-young, claimed her first LPBA title just one year after turning professional.

In the final of the 3rd Tour SY LPBA Championship held Sunday at the PBA Stadium in Kintex, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Park defeated Kang Yu-jin by a set score of 4-2 (11-9, 4-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-4, 11-2) to lift the championship trophy.

The victory earned Park 40 million won ($27,800) in prize money and 20,000 ranking points, vaulting her from 11th to 2nd in the season standings — her cumulative season earnings rising from 2.3 million won with 4,000 points to 42.3 million won with 24,000 points. Having previously reached the quarterfinals twice, Park claimed the title in her 13th professional tournament, becoming the 17th champion in LPBA history.

Park also took home the "Welcome Top Ranking" bonus prize of 2 million won, awarded to the player who posts the highest single-match average in the tournament, after recording an average of 1.947 against Baek Min-ju (Crown Haitai) in the quarterfinals. In the round of 16 against Im Gyeong-jin (Breakers), she completed a perfect cue — scoring all points in a single inning — in the second set, capping a flawless run through the draw.

Kang Yu-jin, a player-commentator active since the LPBA's inaugural season, surpassed her previous best result of the round of 16 — a feat she had achieved four times — to reach the final for the first time, but fell just short of the title.

Park first took up billiards at 16 through Kim Ga-young, the dominant figure in Korean women's billiards, learning pocket billiards for a year and a half before switching to three-cushion at 17, earning her the nickname "Kim Ga-young kid." After rising to second in the domestic amateur rankings, she turned professional ahead of the 2025-26 season through a priority registration.

After her victory, Park said she had not expected much given her condition going into the tournament. "I want to surpass Teacher Gayoung's achievements on the LPBA stage," she added. "She has accomplished so much that it will take a very long time, but I will set that as my goal and keep challenging myself."

The tournament's final day on Monday will feature the PBA semifinals followed by the final. Semi Sayginer of Turkey takes on Jeong Si-yong, while Choi Seong-won faces Nguyen Tran Thanh Tao of Vietnam, with the winners meeting in a final that carries a prize of 100 million won. Both the semifinals and the final are best-of-seven matches.