"Veteran" Noh Seung-yeol's Revival Shot "6-Under Par Excitement"... McIlroy 7-Under Par

5th Place on Day One of Travelers Championship, Hughes Leads at 10 Under Par, DeChambeau 11th, Im Sungjae 58th 'Start'

No Seung-yeol is reading the putt line on the green of the 17th hole on the first day of the Travelers Championship. Cromwell, Connecticut, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is the 'comeback shot' of 'reservist' No Seung-yeol (29, Nike Golf).

On the 26th (Korean time), at the Travelers Championship (total prize money $7.4 million) of the PGA Tour held at River Highlands TPC in Cromwell, Connecticut, USA (par 70, 6,841 yards), he shot 6-under par on the first day and stood tied for 5th place. Mackenzie Hughes (Canada) led with 10-under par 60, while 'Number 1' Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), Xander Schauffele (USA), and Viktor Hovland (Norway) were tied for 2nd place at 7-under par 63.

No Seung-yeol, who returned to the tour earlier this year after completing his military service, showed flawless play with six birdies and no bogeys. He started fresh with consecutive birdies on holes 1 and 2, then continued his momentum by scoring 'stepping stone birdies' on holes 9, 11, and 13. He also made a 2.3m birdie on the final 18th hole (par 4), promising a good next round. His excellent crisis management skills and 'stingy putting' with an average of 1.62 putts per hole were his driving forces.

He is four strokes behind the leader, a position from which he can definitely continue to compete for the championship. No Seung-yeol is a player who represented the national team and won the Asian (APGA) Tour Media China in 2008 and the European Tour Maybank Malaysia in 2010. He crossed over to the U.S. in 2012 through the 2011 Qualifying (Q) School and achieved a remarkable victory at the Zurich Classic in April 2014. He is the fourth Korean PGA Tour champion after Choi Kyung-ju (50, SK Telecom), Yang Yong-eun (48), and Bae Sang-moon (34).

At that time, he set the record for the youngest winner (22 years and 11 months). He enlisted in November 2017 and served as a full-time reservist for 1 year and 8 months before being discharged in August last year. After leaving the military, he focused on building his body, increasing his weight from 74kg to 80kg. He made his comeback at the American Express in January but struggled with four consecutive missed cuts. Fortunately, he used the three-month 'COVID-19 break' to reorganize and laid the foundation for a turnaround in momentum.

Rory McIlroy is teeing off on the 18th hole on the first day of the Travelers Championship. Cromwell, Connecticut, USA ? Getty Images / Photo by Multibits

Mackenzie Hughes, who won his first career victory at the 2017 RSM Classic, swept up 10 birdies and dominated the top of the leaderboard. McIlroy recorded one eagle, six birdies, and one bogey. His 'pinpoint iron shots' stood out with a maximum drive of 346 yards and a greens in regulation rate of 88.89%. He is three strokes behind the leader, aiming for his second win of the season and 19th career victory. Veteran Phil Mickelson is tied for 5th, and 'The Hulk' Bryson DeChambeau (both USA) started tied for 11th at 5-under par 65.

World No. 2 Jon Rahm (Spain) is tied for 17th at 4-under par 66, Dustin Johnson tied for 79th at 1-under par 69, and 'Number 3' Justin Thomas (both USA) is tied for 126th at 1-over par 71. From Korea, Kang Sung-hoon (33) joined the group tied for 11th. 'PO Ranking No. 3' Im Sung-jae (22), An Byeong-hun (29), and Kim Si-woo (25) are tied for 58th at 2-under par 68, eyeing opportunities to move up the leaderboard. Lee Kyung-hoon (29, both CJ Logistics) is tied for 79th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.