Kang Min-hwan (33, Lotto Grip) has claimed his second professional bowling (Korea Professional Bowling Association) title after four years.
On the 20th, Kang Min-hwan defeated Jeong Jae-young (MK) 249-218 in the final match of the TV final individual competition at the 8th Danpung Beauty Cup Professional Bowling Tournament held at The One Bowling Alley in Jeong-eup, North Jeolla Province.
As a result, Kang Min-hwan secured a victory after a long time since winning the first DSD Samho Cup in 2021. It also marked the resurgence of the 2021 season's most valuable player. The prize money for the championship is 12 million won.
Starting as the top seed in the TV final, Kang Min-hwan had a dismal beginning. After making a 4-10 split in his first throw, Kang Min-hwan faced an open frame and struggled against Jeong Jae-young, who recorded a strike on his first throw.
However, Kang Min-hwan recorded his first strike in the third frame and covered the fourth frame, setting the stage for a comeback. He seized the moment when Jeong Jae-young attempted to take a break after scoring a turkey in frames three to five, missing the sixth frame cover.
By scoring a strike in the fifth frame, Kang Min-hwan set his target and secured a remarkable eight consecutive strikes by the third throw in the final tenth frame, determining the match. Jeong Jae-young had to wait for Kang Min-hwan to make a mistake, but the opportunity for a comeback never came.
After his victory, Kang Min-hwan noted, "I felt that the ball was slipping a lot during my practice throws. Not being able to resolve that issue led to difficulties at the start of the final. However, as the game progressed, the lanes became more manageable, and thanks to that, I gained confidence and threw consecutive strikes," explaining the secret to his victory.
He added, "Last year, due to a neck injury, my performance was not good, but my physical condition has improved this year, and I am very happy to have won early in the season. While the game is never easy, I will continue to maintain my current momentum and achieve consistent good results."
Finishing third to take the stage in the TV final, Jeong Jae-young challenged for his first victory in a shootout (4th and 5th place playoff) where only one out of three competitors survives. Jeong Jae-young recorded a score of 202 and comfortably outperformed Lee Sang-hoon (Radical) with a score of 173 and Choi Min-hyeok (Jin Sung International) with 167.
In the semifinals, the third-place playoff, Jeong Jae-young defeated Kim Hyun-min (Storm) 213-182. Jeong Jae-young, who had a narrow lead in the middle, decided the match with a turkey when Kim Hyun-min made a split mistake in the eighth frame.
Meanwhile, in the team event, MK (Jeong Jae-young, Jeong Seung-joo, Moon Jun-o) defeated Track (Park Hyun-soo, Hwang In-chang, Kim Bo-kyum) 213-158. MK initially lost the lead but successfully turned the tables by scoring doubles in the fourth and fifth frames.
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