Park Jeong-hyeon, a 'Kim Ga-young Kid,' Wins First Pro Billiards Title

Park Jeong-hyeon, a rising star in women's billiards, captured her first professional title at the SY Championship on Sunday. The 22-year-old defeated Kang Yu-jin 4-2 in the final match, held at the PBA Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.

Park, who debuted last season, secured the championship trophy and a prize of 40 million won. She also climbed to second place in the season rankings. Throughout the final, she showcased a high level of play, recording a season-best average of 1.244 and a high run of 8 points.

Nicknamed a 'Kim Ga-young kid,' Park began playing pocket billiards at 16 under Kim Ga-young and transitioned to three-cushion billiards at 17. After reaching second place in the amateur national rankings, she turned professional last season. Her game has since shown significant improvement, with many anticipating her eventual championship win.

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I want to surpass 'Ga-young쌤's' achievements in the professional league. It will take a very long time, but I will challenge myself with that goal.

This tournament saw her achieve a perfect game in the round of 16 and record the highest average of the competition (1.947) in the quarterfinals. Overwhelmed with emotion after surpassing her previous best of reaching the quarterfinals twice, Park shed tears of joy. "I didn't expect to win this time either, so it doesn't feel real," she said after the match. "I want to surpass 'Ga-young쌤's' achievements in the professional league. It will take a very long time, but I will challenge myself with that goal."

Kang Yu-jin, who is also a commentator and player, reached the final, surpassing her previous best of the round of 16, but ultimately fell short of the championship.

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I didn't expect to win this time either, so it doesn't feel real.