2026 GS Caltex Maekyung Open: Jang Yoo-bin’s Journey from LIV Golf Struggles to Top Contender
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[Herald Economy = Reporter Cho Yong-jik] Jang Yu-bin, who jumped to LIV Golf last year and has since returned to the KPGA Tour, put himself in position for his first win since coming back.
Jang carded a 2-under 69 in the second round of the KPGA Tour’s 45th GS Caltex Maekyung Open at Namseoul Country Club in Seongnam, Gyeonggi (par-71) on the 1st, leaving him tied for the lead at 6-under 136 with Jo Min-kyu, Lee Tae-hee and Shin Sang-hoon.
He three-putted for bogey at the par-4 2nd but answered when he reached the par-5 4th in two to take birdie. He added another birdie at the par-5 9th to finish the front nine at 1-under.
On the back nine, precise second shots set up birdies at the par-4 13th and par-4 15th, which pushed him toward the top of the leaderboard. A tee shot into the rough at the par-4 16th led to a bogey, but he recovered with a 6.7 m birdie putt on the par-3 17th. A wayward tee on 18 found the rough and resulted in another bogey to close the round.
Jang left for LIV Golf for the 2025 season after a standout 2024 KPGA campaign that included two wins and five runner-up finishes.
His LIV stint, however, was disappointing: he finished outside the top 20 in all 13 individual LIV events and ended up 53rd overall, failing to secure a seed for the 2026 season and prompting his return to Korea.
Refocused, Jang showed he still has the game by tying for second at the season’s second event, the 2026 Woori Financial Championship, which concluded on April 26.
This week he opened with a 4-under 67 to sit tied for sixth and carried that steady stroke play into the second round to remain in contention.
After the round, Jang said, “The wind made it difficult, but my feel for the shots improved and helped me hold my score. Especially on the back nine, when the wind died down, I was able to post some good numbers.”
Kim Min-kyu, who also moved to LIV Golf this season, shot a 4-under 67 and stands at 5-under 137, tied for fifth with Kim Seong-hyun, Park Eun-shin, Song Min-hyuk, Park Young-gyu, Kim Baek-jun, Kim Hak-young and New Zealand’s Nick Bock.
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