Kim Young-won, the 19-year-old "youngest champion" of the Professional Billiards Association (PBA) representing Harim, claimed victory in the season's second tournament.
Kim defeated Vietnamese powerhouse Ngo Dinh Nai of Huons by a set score of 4-2 (15-8, 15-9, 11-15, 15-3, 12-15, 15-4) in the PBA final of the 2026-2027 season "Citizens' Happiness Retreat High1 Resort PBA-LPBA Championship," held Saturday at the Grand Hotel Convention Tower at High1 Resort in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province.
Lifting the trophy again just two tournaments after winning last season's final event, the Hana Card Hana Capital World Championship in March, Kim signaled his growth from a rising star into the ranks of top players. Reaching four career tour titles, he climbed one spot each to a tie for third in most wins and to sixth in career earnings (571 million won).
Born in October 2007, Kim entered the professional stage through the PBA Dream Tour (second division) in 2022, then secured promotion to the top tour by finishing sixth in the Dream Tour for the 2023-2024 season. He made his mark by finishing runner-up in the 2024-2025 season opener, which was also his official top-division debut, before becoming the youngest champion (17 years and 23 days) just six tournaments later. He went on to win the Huons Championship and the World Championship, the equivalent of a tournament of champions, last season, and now adds another title to log wins for a third consecutive year, proving his solid form.
Ngo, meanwhile, was bidding to become the third Vietnamese player to win a title, following Ma Minh Cam of NH Nonghyup Card and Nguyen Quoc Nguyen of Hana Card, but was stopped by Kim. Having recorded an average of 3.000 in the semifinals, he consoled himself by winning the Welcome Top Ranking award (4 million won prize), given to the player with the highest average in a single match.
Kim seized the initiative on the day by taking the first two sets. His comeback win in the opening set, after trailing 7-8, became the springboard for the title. After also coming from behind to take the second set, Kim conceded the third set to Ngo, who unleashed a high run of 11, but won the fourth set after scoring nine in the first inning to make the set score 3-1. Ngo took the fifth set, but his chase ended there. In the sixth set, Kim built a large lead with seven points in the first inning and five in the second before cruising to a 15-4 win to complete the title.
"My average has risen a lot compared to two years ago, but I don't think it's high yet when compared to top-class players. My target average is 1.7 or higher," Kim said.
Meanwhile, the PBA Tour will hold the "Welcome Savings Bank PBA Team League 2026-2027" over nine days starting July 5, before staging the season's third regular tour event in late July.
