Just over a year ago, Sangmoon Bae was in an army barracks finishing up a mandatory two-year stint in the South Korean army as a rifleman. On Sunday in Boise, Idaho, Bae won the third event of the Web.com Tour Finals — The Albertsons Boise Open — to earn back his playing privileges on the PGA Tour.
Needing a birdie on the 72nd hole, Bae showed the type of poise that earned him more than $6 million on Tour before he took his two-year hiatus.
The 72nd-hole birdie that earned Sangmoon Bae the @Boise_Open title. pic.twitter.com/L2asDZQY3A
— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) September 17, 2018
“I talked to my caddie Matt and we needed a birdie on the last,” Bae said, according to PGATour.com. “I had a perfect number for my second with 110 yards to the hole and I perfectly hit a 56-degree wedge. (I feel) just so successful this week, and after the military service it means a lot. I feel like I’m back.
“I thought it would not take that long (to get my game back), but I have struggled for almost a year. My game is not that much different, but maybe a little mentally. (This year), it’s a little different in my mind because I feel like I’m back to being a rookie, more humbled and more patient.”
“After being through service, it means a lot. I feel like I’m back.”
With his victory @Boise_Open, Sangmoon Bae is indeed back. pic.twitter.com/PNZTWkYsoX
— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) September 17, 2018
Bae edged Anders Albertson, Roger Sloan and Adam Schenk to win by one.
The Web.com Tour Championship is next week at Atlantic Beach Country Club.
