Kim clinches back-to-back victories

Sunday, 20 May 2012
Kim Bi-o
Kim Bi-o

Kim Bi-o clinched his second straight victory while Anthony Brown and Aaron Townsend were Australia's best performers at the SK Telecom Open on Sunday.

South Korean Kim overcame a late Park Sang-hyun rally to win by three shots at Pinx Golf Club in Jeju.

Brown and Townsend finished 14 shots off the pace in a tie for 13th with South Korean veteran KJ Choi, a three-time winner of the event.

Kim carded a final round five-under 67 for an 18 under total of 270 to edge out countryman Park.

It was the 21-year-old's second OneAsia Tour triumph in as many weeks following his five-shot victory at the Maekyung Open.

Kim, who took a two-stroke lead into the last round, was under pressure early on as Park, playing in the group ahead, made three birdies and an eagle on his first four holes.

Park then eagled the 10th to move two strokes clear of Kim, who remained unaware he had surrendered the lead.

"I could hear a few roars up front, but I'm kind of glad I had no idea what was going on," Kim said.

"I think if I knew how he was playing, what he was doing, I would probably have tried to be a bit more aggressive - and that could have been dangerous."

Kim maintained his composure with birdies on the 14th and 16th while Park put his tee shot on the 17th in a greenside bunker and made bogey.

Another bogey on the 18th hole saw Park's chances slip away as Kim closed out with a routine par to claim the traditional red jacket.

Local hopes Kim Si-woo and Joo Heung-chol tied for third on 13 under while New Zealander Mark Brown was the best of the non-Koreans in equal sixth on nine under.