Defending champion Kim grabbed two birdies and recorded one quadruple bogey and eight bogeys to post a 10-over 81. After finishing the first round tied for 136th, Kim is on the verge of passing the cut.메이저놀이터
Kim Min-kyu, who was upset with the tee shot disturbance, made a mistake of flying the tee shot twice into the OB area on the 13th hole (par 5), and lost four shots in this hole alone.
Lee Joon-seok, the 2021 winner, also had a hard day. He failed to get any birdies during the 18-hole competition, and made two double bogeys and 10 bogeys to post a 14-over 85. Although the course was difficult and tricky, it is rare for a professional player to get even one birdie.
Bae Sang-moon and Danny Lee, who have won the PGA Tour, also submitted a score card with "over par" written on it. Bae Sang-moon, who won two PGA Tour titles, only had one birdie and made one double bogey and four bogeys to tie for 93rd with 5-over 76. Danny Lee, who won one PGA Tour and LIV Golf, struggled on the day alone by writing one triple bogey and four double bogeys. Danny Lee, who also had three bogeys, tied up two birdies and recorded a 12-over 83 to end up at the bottom.
Lee couldn't stop himself due to anxiety over tee shots and putts. After putting his second shot on the green at Hole 11 (par 4), he holed out at a distance of about 10 meters and made a triple bogey after five pars. As his tee shot did not work, he ended up with a 7 percent fairway settlement rate. He shot his 14th tee shot, only to drop it on the first fairway.
The reason why the score, which is difficult to regard as the performance of a top professional player in Korea from the first day, was because of the tricky course setting.
Traditionally, Korean Open features a tricky course. Up until last year, it was held at Ujeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. The fairway was narrow and the green was hard and fast, so it was difficult to win the double-digit under par. Ujeong Hills Country Club, which has been in the 32nd year of its opening, has changed its venue to Rabiebel Dunes Course as the venue for the Korean Open is undergoing renovation this year. As the course changed, the difficulty level was expected to decrease. However, everyone's expectation was wrong.
The newly-changed course is 6,792 meters in total (7,426 yards) and par 71. The course will consist of three par-5 holes, 11 par-4 holes, and four par-3 holes. Hole 5 is the longest at 555 meters (607 yards) in total, and there are a total of seven par-4 holes with 400 yards or more. Hole 9 is 471 yards, the longest among the par-4 holes. Three of the four par-3 holes are over 200 yards. In addition, the average fairway width is 15-20 meters, narrowing the distance by half compared to the normal operation. The rough maintained 35 millimeters near the fairway and 50 millimeters or more deep in the fairway. Although it is not very long, players complained that it is difficult to adjust the distance due to frequent flyers. The average green speed was 3.8 meters fast on average. Some players sighed, saying that the grass dried up more quickly in the afternoon.
Former winners and PGA players also had a hard time, but Chung Yoo-joon was the lone lead with a bogey-free play, signaling a sensation. Chung, who is in his third year of the tour, has never been in the top 10 in 25 competitions. It was his second appearance at the Korean Open since last year, and he failed to make the cut at last year's event.
"Overall, I was satisfied with everything. I only had two or three tee shots off the fairway, and I had a good birdie putt," Jung said. "There are still three days left. I will do well in the rest of the game with the same mind as today," he said, hinting at his expectation for his first professional debut victory.
Following Jeong Yu-jun, Paracha Khongwatmai (Thailand) and Jed Morgan (Australia), the Asian Tour's strongmen, shot a 4-under 67 to enter the competition for the championship tied for second place.
Kim Min-soo, a 17-year-old amateur player, joined the group with a 3-under 68 following "unknown" Jung Yu-joon. Kim tied for fourth along with Wang Jeong-hoon and Yoo Song-gyu, who won three European tours. Choi Min-ho, Kim Ki-hwan, Sadom Awakenchana, and Pum Saxony of Thailand tied for ninth (2-under 69). A total of 144 players participated in the first round, and only 24 players submitted under par report cards. 111 players finished the first round with over par.
Kolon's Korean Open, which is the national title and will be held as a D-Open qualifying series, will receive 500 million won in prize money and will be eligible to participate in the D-Open, a major tournament to be held in the UK in July. The winner will also receive five years of KPGA Tour and two years of Asian Tour, guaranteeing solid tour activities.