Siwoo Kim 5th Place "5-Under Par Spur"... "Grab the PO Ticket"

Wyndham Championship Day 1: Hodge and Two Others Share Lead, Simpson Tied 13th in Pursuit of Third Win

Kim Si-woo cheers after making a birdie on the 18th hole on the first day of the Wyndham Championship. Greensboro, North Carolina, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "Grab the PO ticket."

Kim Si-woo (25, CJ Logistics) is off to a good start. On the 14th (Korean time), at the Greensboro Sedgefield Golf Club (par 70, 7,127 yards) in North Carolina, USA, the opening day of the final event of the 2020 PGA Tour season, the Wyndham Championship (total prize money $6.4 million), he posted 5 under par and stood tied for 5th place. Tom Hoge (USA), Roger Sloan (Canada), and Harold Varner III (USA) are fiercely competing in a tie for the lead at 8 under par.

Kim Si-woo recorded eight birdies and three bogeys. After exchanging a birdie on the 1st hole (par 4) with a bogey on the 2nd hole (par 4), he added three birdies on the 5th, 8th, and 11th holes to gain momentum. Although he made his second bogey on the 12th hole (par 3), he sparked excitement with three consecutive birdies from the 13th to the 15th holes, and a bogey on the 17th hole (par 4) was recovered with an 8.2-meter birdie putt on the 18th hole (par 4). His maximum 348-yard long drive and pinpoint iron shots that missed the green only three times stood out, but above all, his average of 1.53 putts per hole, a 'stingy putting' performance, was impressive.

This tournament is especially significant as the 'promised land' where he achieved his first PGA Tour victory in August 2016. It is worth noting that Kim Si-woo rose to global stardom by winning The Players Championship, known as the 'fifth major,' in May the following year. Since then, he has been anxious due to a lack of wins. In March, he shot 7 under par on the first day of The Players Championship, but the tournament was abruptly canceled due to the spread of COVID-19 in the United States, an unfortunate event.

For Kim Si-woo, securing a playoff (PO) ticket starting next week is welcome news. The playoffs are a 'survival game' format starting with the first event, The Northern Trust (125 players), followed by the second event, the BMW Championship (70 players), and the final third event, the Tour Championship (30 players). Currently ranked 121st, his current position would move him up to 95th. He needs to raise his ranking as much as possible to advance to the second event. He is counting on his perfect compatibility with the course.

Webb Simpson is reading the putting line on the 8th hole on the first day of the Wyndham Championship. Greensboro, North Carolina, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

Locally, attention was focused on Hoge's attempt at a '59 score.' He was running at 9 under par but missed a 3.2-meter birdie putt on the 17th hole, losing the chance, and then lost one stroke with a bogey on the 18th hole. Harris English is at 6 under par in 4th place, and Webb Simpson (both USA) is tied for 13th at 4 under par, aiming to avenge last year's runner-up finish. Having already secured two wins early this year at the Phoenix Open in February and the RBC Heritage in June, he is on a 'march to three wins.'

Korea's Kang Sung-hoon (33) joined the tie for 13th place, Lee Kyoung-hoon (29) is tied for 43rd at 2 under par, and 'PO 5th place' Im Sung-jae (22, both CJ Logistics) is tied for 67th at 1 under par. Im Sung-jae is especially motivated by the prospect of winning this tournament and rising to 'PO 2nd place' to earn a $1.5 million bonus. PO points are tallied through this tournament, and a total bonus of $10 million (11.86 billion KRW) is distributed among the top 10 players, with $2 million awarded to the first place.

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