Defending champion Jang Yu-bin tied for 6th at 6-under par 11 players wear shorts after first shorts allowed
Kim Baek-jun’s tee shot.
Rookie Baekjun Kim of the Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Tour swung his clubs hard on the first day of the Gunsan Country Club Open, signaling a storm.
Kim Baek-jun shot a 9-under 63 in the first round of the tournament held on the 11th at the Gunsan Country Club Tournament Course (par 72) in Gunsan-si, Jeollabuk-do, to take sole lead.
This is the personal lowest score for 18 holes for Baekjun Kim, who has been playing in the KPGA Tour since this year.
He shot an 11-under 61 as an amateur, but his lowest score on the professional stage was a 7-under 64 in the second round of the KPGA Championship.
Although he did not reach the tournament record of 11-under 61, set by Lee Chang-ki (New Zealand) last year, Kim Baek-jun showed off his divine shots and putts that day, as his 10 birdies show.
Kim Baek-jun, who started on the 10th hole, opened the tournament with three consecutive birdies on the 10th to 12th holes, then two consecutive birdies on the 15th and 16th holes, and another three consecutive birdies on the 18th to 2nd holes.
He made up for the strokes lost by missing a 3m putt on the 3rd hole (par 4) with a birdie that almost became an eagle on the 4th hole (par 4).
Kim Baek-jun did not miss the 1m birdie opportunity he created with a sharp second shot on the 7th hole (par 4). 안전놀이터
Kim Baek-jun, who won the gold medal in the individual event at the 2019 National Sports Festival while he was a national representative, was a promising prospect whose talent was recognized early on, such as by taking second place in the SK Telecom Open, a special KPGA Tour tournament in which he participated as an amateur invitation player in 2021.
Kim Baek-jun, who won twice in the second division tour last year, made the cut in eight out of ten tournaments this year and stood out among the rookies, tying for third place at the SK Telecom Open and tying for fifth place at the KPGA Championship.
In the Rookie of the Year race, he is in second place behind Takashi Ogiso (Japan), a member of the Japan Golf Tour (JGTO), who won the KEB Hana Bank Invitational, a tournament co-hosted by the Japan Golf Tour (JGTO).
Kim Baek-jun evaluated his game that day by saying, “I played well from tee to green as I thought. In particular, the birdie putt went in well.”
Kim Baek-jun, who said, “I am confident that my iron shots are competitive even on the KPGA Tour,” showed considerable confidence in his own ability, saying, “I think my short game and putting are my weaknesses, so I focused on improving those areas during winter training and I think I am seeing results.”
“I played really well today. Starting tomorrow, there’s a high chance that I won’t be able to play as well as I did today,” said Baekjun Kim, looking ahead in a mature manner. He added, “I will approach the remaining three days of matches without being overly excited or impatient.”
Kim Baek-jun, who is close with peers Jang Yu-bin, Jo Woo-young, and Kim Min-gyu who have already won on the KPGA Tour, said, “It feels good to see friends doing well, but it also has a motivating effect. I won’t rush, but I’m looking forward to the day when I can win and get to the same level as my friends.”
Kim Young-soo, who won the prize money and grand prize in 2022 and played on the European stage last year, shot an 8-under 64 to come in second place, one stroke behind.
Defending champion Jang Yu-bin finished the first day tied for sixth place with a six-under 66.
Jang Yu-bin has no wins this year, but he has seven top-10 finishes, including three second-place finishes, and is currently ranked first in points and scoring average at the Genesis Awards.
Jang Yu-bin said, “Last year, the leader was 11 under par in the first round and I was 4 under par. The gap with the leader is smaller than last year. I am satisfied with my score on the first day.”
Jang Yu-bin, who suffered a 5-stroke comeback defeat on the final day of the Webcash Group/Wonder Club Open on the 30th of last month, said, “I’ve completely forgotten the regret of the comeback defeat,” and “I was too obsessed with winning all three of my runner-up finishes this year, so I lost the championship. This time, I’m going to play while enjoying myself and not thinking about winning.”
In-Hoe Heo, who won the Webcash Group/Wonder Club Open by beating Yu-Bin Jang in an extension after coming up five strokes behind, shot a three-over-par 75, putting a red light on his hopes of winning two tournaments in a row.
Ok Tae-hoon was lucky enough to hit a tee shot with a 6 iron on the 17th hole (par 3, 185 yards) when the ball landed on the green, rolled sideways, and ended up in the hole.
Ok Tae-hoon, who made his fourth hole-in-one, received a Seragem massage chair set and a robot vacuum cleaner as prizes. 카지노사이트
