The Professional Billiards Association 안전놀이터(PBA, President Kim Young-soo) has completed all official schedules for the 2022-23 season.
The Dream Tour (2nd division) on February 27th, the 1st division with the ‘SK Rent-A-Car PBA-LPBA World Championship’ on March 11th, and the Challenge Tour (3rd division) ended on the 20th. 15 Dream Tour players and 3 Challenge Tour players will be promoted to the first division in the 2023-24 season.
Immediately after the end of each season, the joys and sorrows are mixed according to the report card. There are players who have to knock on the door of the 1st division tour again in Q School due to the 1st division relegation (ranking 64th or lower), and the top players in the Dream and Challenge qualify to become the “1st division leaguer” for the next season.
On the Dream Tour, ‘player and commentator’ Kang Sang-gu took the top spot in the season rankings (13,600 points) and took the highest spot among the promoted list. After suffering the pain of relegation due to a back injury in the 2021-22 season, he succeeded in returning to the first division tour after two seasons by winning the opening game of this season and finishing in the semifinals of the 6th game.
He, who won the Dream Tour MVP at the PBA Awards Ceremony on the 14th, said, “Part 1 players, I will definitely tell you how scary I am. You are nervous.” He also conveyed his strong ambition.
In addition, 2nd place Kim Tae-yung (13,400 points), 2 runners-up and 1 semifinal, and Kim In-ho (13,000 points), 3rd place in the rankings with consistent performance without a championship, and Lee Hong-ki (4th place, 11,600 points), winner of the 4th game, final match (6th round) ) Kim Jin-ho (5th place, 11,600 points), who confirmed the dramatic 1st division with the championship, and Kim Dae-jin (6th place, 11,200 points), the ‘winner of the second round’, qualified for promotion to the 1st division.
Six out of 15 players are returnees from the first division. Kang Sang-gu, Kim In-ho, Lee Hong-ki, Lee Young-joo (8th place), Go Gyeong-nam (11th place), and Park Chun-woo (14th place), who debuted as part 1 tour players in the 2019-20 season, the inaugural season of professional billiards, are the ‘first part career players’. They return after three seasons at the longest and one season at the shortest.
In the challenge tour, where only three cards are given, Tae-gwan Kim (26) of “Young Gun” rose to the top of the season rankings. Kim Tae-gwan reached the top two times (2nd and 4th) out of 6 tours and earned 10,175 points, taking the overwhelming first place and winning the MVP honor.
However, Kim Tae-gwan, who participated as a wild card this season, earned points (22,000 points) to remain in the first part of the tour, and succeeded in staying in 62nd place in the first part tour season. As a result, the qualification for promotion returned to the next ranked player in the Challenge Tour, and Lee Jung-hoon (5225 points), who took 4th place, was qualified for promotion. 2nd place Shin Dong-min A (5575 points) 3rd place Park Ki-myeong (5225 points) also knocks on the stage of the first part.
In the final round of the 6th round, the final round of the Challenge Tour, Jeong Sun-hae defeated Kim Young-jae (A) with a set score of 3-0 to secure the championship, but unfortunately missed the opportunity to go directly to the 1st division as he stayed in 5th place (5100 points) in the final rankings.
The PBA prepares for the next season, starting with the 2023 Q-School, a tour player selection match in May. Q School competes with players who were relegated from the first part of the 2022-23 season, 16th to 64th (49 people) on the Dream Tour, and 4th to 32nd (29 people) on the Challenge Tour.
During the Q School period, the LPBA tryout, which is a women’s player selection event, will also be held. The challenge tour tryout will be held in June.