Choi Kyung-ju’s prestigious shot Tied for second place with even par 71 strokes
SK Telecom Open 1st round sole leader Kim Jin-seong
Most of the 144 players who participated on the first day of the Korea Professional Golf (KPGA) Tour SK Telecom Open (total prize money of 1.3 billion won) struggled due to strong winds in Jeju Island.
In the first round of the tournament held at Pinx Golf Club (par 71) in Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do on the 16th, only one player, Kim Jin-seong, recorded an under-par score.
In the first round with strong winds of up to 13 m/s, Kim Jin-seong recorded 1 under par 70 with 5 birdies and 4 bogeys, taking the sole lead.
Kim Jin-seong, who debuted on the KPGA Tour in 2009, has not yet won the championship, but has consistently performed well and won more than 100 million won in prize money for the past two consecutive years.
Kim Jin-seong said with a smile, “The wind was blowing really strong. Rather than thinking about reducing the number of strokes, I played golf to keep it. I didn’t mean to make birdies, but I got more than I expected.”
Choi Gyeong-ju, who participated in this tournament for the 22nd time, recorded an even par 71 strokes with an impressive shot and tied for second place. I made 3 birdies and 3 bogeys.
Choi Gyeong-ju said, “It was very windy, so I thought about 1 or 2 over par, but my score was better than expected,” and added, “It’s unfortunate that I couldn’t maintain the number of strokes in the par 4 hole.”
Jang Dong-gyu also maintained an under-par score, but made consecutive bogeys on the 17th hole (par 3) and the 18th hole (par 4), and finished the first day with an even par 71 and a tie for second place.
Jang Dong-gyu, who debuted on the KPGA tour in 2008, also participated in the major tournament British Open by winning the Mizuno Open in 2014 while playing on the Japan Professional Golf Tour (JGTO).
On the KPGA Tour, Jang Dong-gyu, who won the 2015 KPGA Championship, took the first step toward winning his second domestic tournament.
‘Big numbers’ were also poured out amidst the difficult playing conditions.
Chan-min Jeong, who won twice last year, sent his tee shot into the woods at the 13th hole (par 4) and was unable to get out, losing as many as 6 strokes and holed out.
Chan-min Jeong eventually withdrew due to a cold and body aches with four holes remaining.
Bio Kim, who is trying to win the SK Telecom Open for the third time, lost 4 strokes after missing the ball twice into the water hazard in the 2nd hole (par 3) with a headwind.
Bio Kim finished the first round with a 78 over par. 섯다