Two years after finishing runner-up at APT Jeju, Jianfeng Sun returned to win the APT Jeju 2026 Main Event for KRW 427,565,000 (approximately USD 319,080), the biggest tournament score of his career.
The 34-year-old Chinese professional defeated Singapore’s Steve Ng heads-up to secure his first APT title and the 24K Gold Lion trophy.
The KRW 2.7 million buy-in Main Event attracted 1,375 entries and generated a KRW 3,207,600,000 (approximately USD 2,393,730) prize pool. It was the ninth-largest non-Championship field in APT history and the fourth-largest APT field held in South Korea.
Sun Starts the Final Day in Front
Eight players returned for the final day, all guaranteed at least KRW 53,230,000 (approximately USD 39,725).
Sun held the chip lead, with Ng second in chips and 18 big blinds behind him. Sun eliminated eighth-place finisher Shuang Qiu on the first hand of the final table and later recalled that his AK had beaten KK, a start that made him feel the day was going his way.
Ng kept pace as the field narrowed. He recorded four eliminations and spent part of the final table in the chip lead. Sun was responsible for the first and last eliminations of the day, with the two finalists combining for five of the seven knockouts.
Deal Gives Ng the Higher Payout
Sun and Ng reached a deal before the title was decided. The agreement locked up KRW 449,115,000 (approximately USD 335,160) for Ng, while the trophy, title and another KRW 23,600,000 (approximately USD 17,610) remained in play.
As a result, Ng ultimately received more prize money than Sun despite finishing second.
Sun entered part of the heads-up contest at a 3:2 chip disadvantage but recovered to win the title. He said his confidence in heads-up play had been helped by matches against high-stakes professional Xu Yang a few months earlier.
Sun also reflected on his runner-up finish to Xixiang Luo in the 2024 APT Jeju Main Event. He said that loss had not stayed with him as a major regret because he had entered the 2024 heads-up contest at a 1-to-5 chip disadvantage. Looking back at the two years since then, Sun felt he had made progress in his mindset and table dynamics.
Career-Best Result for Kwang Chung Tan
Singapore’s Kwang Chung Tan finished third for KRW 225,180,000 (approximately USD 168,045), also a career-best result.
Ireland’s Toby Joyce took fourth for KRW 166,770,000 (approximately USD 124,455), a result that moved him into the top three on Ireland’s All-Time Money List.
Fifth-place finisher Weimin Chen and sixth-place finisher Jiawei Wan also recorded career-best results. Erdun Xu finished seventh, while Shuang Qiu placed eighth.
Sun, Ng and Tan each received a USD 10,000 seat to November’s APT Championship Main Event, which carries a USD 5 million guarantee.
For Sun, the difference from Jeju 2024 was the final result: runner-up two years ago, APT Main Event champion in 2026.
