Cho Gun-hwi (34, Welcome Savings Bank) defeated Cho Jae-ho (46, NH NongHyup Card) in a full-set thriller to claim the title at the season opener of the 2026-2027 Professional Billiards Association (PBA) Tour.
Cho Gun-hwi came from behind to beat Cho Jae-ho 4-3 (12-15, 3-15, 15-4, 15-12, 15-12, 12-15, 11-4) in the PBA final of the Woori Financial Capital PBA-LPBA Championship held Monday at the KINTEX PBA Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
The victory marked Cho Gun-hwi's third career tour title and his first trophy in 15 months, since winning the eighth event of the 2024-2025 season. With the 100 million won winner's prize, he climbed three spots to No. 6 in the cumulative prize money ranking with 495.5 million won. The win also helped him shake off the disappointment of finishing runner-up at the World Championship, the final event of last season.
The final between the two homegrown stars was a seesaw battle. Cho Jae-ho took the first two sets, wrapping up the second in just three innings. From the third set onward, however, Cho Gun-hwi, a five-time tour winner, found his cue. He sparked his comeback by taking the third set 15-4, then erased a 5-12 deficit in the fourth set with a high run of 10 points to level the match at two sets apiece. After Cho Gun-hwi rode that momentum to take the fifth set as well, Cho Jae-ho responded by winning the sixth, sending the match to a decisive seventh set.
In the deciding seventh set, Cho Gun-hwi's concentration shone through. Leading 4-3 in the fourth inning, he capitalized on Cho Jae-ho's missed reverse-around shot to reel off seven consecutive points, including a bank shot, to close out the match 11-4.
"I'm happy to have reached the final in two consecutive tournaments, following the World Championship at the end of last season," Cho Gun-hwi said. "I always try to keep a relaxed mind and practice as if it were a real match. Consistent morning workouts and billiards practice have become part of my routine, so I felt less pressure during the match."
The PBA Tour will hold its second event of the season, the Gungminui Haengbok Shimteo High1 Resort PBA-LPBA Championship, over nine days starting December 3 in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province.
