‘Superman’ pushed his best friend ‘Hulk’ and flew up. Cho Jae-ho (NH Nonghyup Card) won the final round of the regular tour of the Professional Billiards (PBA) 2022-23 season in a friendship match with Gang Dong-gung (SK Rent-a-Car).
Cho Jae-ho defeated Kang Dong-gung (SK Rent-A-Car) in the men’s final of the ‘Crown Haetae PBA-LPBA Championship’ held at the Bitmaru Broadcasting Center in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do on the 8th. They roared after winning the set score 4-1 (15:2, 9:15, 15:12, 15:13, 15:14).
This is the 2nd championship cup this season. Cho Jae-ho marked the beginning and end of this season by reaching the top in the opening match, the Blue One Resort Championship, and the final round of the regular tour.
He was also crowned Tour Champion for the second time in his career, coincidentally tied with Kang Dong-gung. Among domestic players active in the PBA, only Jo Jae-ho and Kang Dong-gung, both born in the 1980s, have more than two wins.
Jo Jae-ho also rose to No. 1 in the season rankings. He secured 100 million won in prize money and 100,000 ranking points, leading both prize money (222.5 million won) and ranking points (261,500 points). He beat David Zapata (Spain, Blue One Resort), the first champion of the King of Kings with 141.5 million won, and Frederic Kudron (Belgium, Welcome Savings Bank), the strongest player with 132.5 million won.
The final drew attention as a best friend match between PBA Korean players. Prior to the launch of the PBA, Jaeho Cho and Donggung Kang competed for the best in Korea, including winning the World Cup. Kang Dong-gung first came out as a member of the PBA and won 2 wins, and Jo Jae-ho joined from the 3rd tour of the 2020-2021 season, the following season, and won 1 win.
The early game was tight. Cho Jae-ho first scored 8 high runs and won the first set 15-2 in 4 innings, and Kang Dong-gung also took the 2nd set 15-9 in 8 innings and called Meng-gun.
However, would Jo Jae-ho’s will to win 2 be a little stronger? At the watershed of the 3rd set, Cho Jae-ho showed his concentration. Cho Jae-ho scored 4 points in 5 innings against 10-10 and made a set point, and added 1 point in the 6th inning when the score was 14-11, leading the set score 2-1.
In the 4th set, Kang Dong-gung also trailed 4-9 until the 6th inning, but exploded 9 points in the 7th inning, strengthening the fighting spirit. However, Jo Jae-ho scored 3 points and chased it to 12-13, and finished the set by adding 3 points while Kang Dong-gung was silent due to an empty hit.
Cho Jae-ho, who gained momentum, scored 7 storm points in the first attack of the 5th set and seized the victory. Even in the 6th inning, he focused on 6 points and scored 14 to 13 match points. Kang Dong-gung also had a chance in the 7th inning, but stayed at 1 point, and Jo Jae-ho calmly confirmed the top with an elaborate 1-bank miss.
Jo Jae-ho, who held a Superman ceremony after the game, said, “My goal was to win once a season, but after winning the opening game, I increased my goal to win twice.” . He then said, “Thanks to the book ‘Mentality’ that was recently gifted to me by an acquaintance, it has really helped me to manage my mental strength.
Regarding the matchup with Kang Dong-gung, Jo Jae-ho said, “Since Kang Dong-gung was in the finals first, I had a strong desire to play the finals with Korean players.” “he said. “It was the first time we met on a personal tour, so I was really looking forward to meeting the two of them rather than thinking that I had to win,” he said with a smile.
Kang Dong-gung, who had challenged for a total of 3 wins, was on the verge of winning. In the round of 16, against Lee Sang-yong, he recorded an innings average of 2.647 and soothed his regret by winning the ‘Well-Bang Top Ranking’ (prize of 4 million won) given to the player with the highest average in one game. 먹튀검증
Kang Dong-gung congratulated his friend on his win, saying, “I’ve played many matches since I was an amateur, and I’ve competed in many important finals.” Then, she smiled and promised a pleasant revenge battle, saying, “I was the only player in Korea to win two championships, but I gave up this championship, but I will take the third championship first.”
After completing eight regular tours, the PBA will enter the postseason of the ‘Welcome Savings Bank PBA Team League 2022-23’ from the 17th. From March 3rd, the season ends with the ‘SK Rent-A-Car PBA World Championship’, a ‘King of Kings’ match where only the top 32 players in the men’s and women’s divisions advance.
