Defeats Lee Young-min 3-1 in final
Lee Gil-su, 39, has lifted the trophy at the PBA Dream Tour (second division) 4th event.
In the final held Tuesday at PBA Stadium in Kintex, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Lee defeated Lee Young-min by a set score of 3-1 (15-12, 11-15, 15-4, 15-7) in the 2026-2027 PBA Dream Tour 4th event.
With the victory, Lee claimed the first-place prize of 10 million won ($7,280) and 10,000 ranking points, vaulting from 25th place (1,750 points) to first (11,750 points) in the season standings and putting himself in a strong position for promotion to the first division.
Lee made his Dream Tour debut in the 2020-21 season and earned promotion to the first division after finishing runner-up at the 5th event of the 2024-25 Dream Tour season. He was relegated after just one season in the top flight, but has bounced back strongly this season — reaching the quarterfinals of the 2nd event before winning the 4th — putting promotion firmly within reach.
"This is the happiest day of my life in billiards," Lee said. "It's my first title, even if it's in the Dream Tour. This was my second final appearance, and I played determined not to lose. Luck was on my side, and that's how I was able to win."
He added, "The mentor who taught me billiards passed away recently. It feels like he gave me this victory as a gift. I want to dedicate this joy to him."
With Lee's victory closing out the Dream Tour 4th event, the PBA will host the Welcome Savings Bank PBA Team League Pohang City Tour 2026-2027 from Sept. 10 to 18 at the indoor gymnasium of Pohang General Athletics Stadium in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
