SEOUL: South Korea’s Kim Seung-Hyuk recorded a rare birdie on 18 for a four-under-par 68 and a share of the lead after yesterday’s opening round of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open.
Compatriots Choi Ho-Sung and Lee Kyoung-Hoon are tied with Kim in the OneAsia tournament being played at the 6,943-yard par-72 Namseoul Country Club on the outskirts of the South’s capital.
Kim was bogey-free while Choi -- winner of the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship last year -- dropped a shot on the brutally tough par-four 18th after racking up five birdies.
“This course is really difficult so you have to be patient and wait for your chances,” the 27-year-old Kim said.
“I had a good day today and managed to make some putts. That is the secret at Namseoul.”
The highlight of Lee’s round was a chip-in for eagle from just off the green on the par-five fourth, but dropped shots on eight and 18 meant he couldn’t break away from the field. Eight players finished a stroke behind the leaders -- including Australians Jason Scrivener and Jason Norris -- but only 34 of the 153-man field were under par.
Defending champion Ryu Hyun-Woo was one over for his round, while OneAsia’s reigning Order of Merit champion, Matthew Griffin, shot a 74.
Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy tees it up in the US PGA Tour’s flagship Players Championship brimming with confidence but also sporting a series of cuts on his boyish 25-year-old face.
“I took Monday off after my birthday and the Wells Fargo on Sunday and then did a good day’s work on Tuesday at the Bears Club,” said McIlroy “And apart from getting these scratches and looking for a golf ball that wasn’t mine, I feel “I didn’t need to rush up here to Sawgrass given there is no Pro-Am at the event.
“I had all intentions flying up here at (Tuesday) but I thought it would be nice to spend another night in my own bed.”AFP
