Lee Kyung-hoon 4 Under Par Ties 20th "PO 2nd Round Ticket?"... Woods 3 Under Par 'Smooth Sailing'

PO Round 1 The Northern Trust Day 1: English and 3 Others Tied for Lead at 7 Under, Kim Siwoo Tied 30th

Lee Kyung-hoon shot 4 under par on the first day of the Northern Trust Playoff Round 1, tying for 20th place.

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-joon] It is a full-scale battle for Lee Kyung-hoon (29, CJ Logistics).

On the 21st (Korean time), at the Boston TPC in Norton, Massachusetts, USA (par 71, 7,342 yards), the first day of the PGA Tour Playoffs (PO) first round, The Northern Trust (total prize money $9.5 million), he scored 4 under par and stood tied for 20th place. Harris English (USA) and three others are fiercely competing for the win at 7 under par, tied for first place. The 'resurrected golf emperor' Tiger Woods (USA) is tied for 30th at 3 under par.

Lee Kyung-hoon made four birdies on holes 1, 6, 13, and 15. He is a player who achieved back-to-back national titles by winning the Korean Open in 2016 and 2017. In 2018, he ranked 5th on the Korn Ferry Tour (2nd tier) money list and advanced to the PGA Tour last year, maintaining his card with two top 10 finishes, including 3rd place at the Zurich Classic in April. This year, he has played 24 events, facing a thorny path with 12 missed cuts. His best result last year was 5th place at the RSM Classic in November, which counts toward the 2020 season.

Although he missed the green eight times today, his crisis management skills stood out as he saved par every time. He relied on an average of 1.60 putts per hole, a 'stingy putting' performance. Currently, he is ranked 110th in the PO standings. Securing a ticket to the second round, the BMW Championship, which only 70 players qualify for, is urgent. With his current ranking, he can still make it up to 93rd place. The PO is a 'survival game' format where 70 players compete in the second round, and then 30 are selected to advance to the final third round, the Tour Championship. The second round has become even more important.

The leaders include 'Sanderson Farms Championship champion' Sebastian Munoz (Colombia), Dustin Johnson, and 'twist swing' Matthew Wolff (both USA), who started their chase from a tie for 5th place, one stroke behind at 6 under par (65 strokes). Munoz especially drew the spotlight by making seven consecutive birdies from holes 1 to 7. However, his challenge for a '59-stroke round' was halted by a double bogey on the 9th hole (par 4). He managed to add only one birdie on the 14th hole (par 4) in the back nine.

Tiger Woods is watching the ball immediately after his iron shot on the 12th hole during the first day of The Northern Trust. Norton, Massachusetts, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

Woods showed a steady performance with five birdies and two bogeys. Starting at the 10th hole (par 4), he struggled with a bogey on the 13th hole (par 4) but barely recovered with a birdie on the 18th hole (par 5). He then made two pairs of consecutive birdies on holes 3-4 and 7-8 in the back nine. The bogey on the final 9th hole (par 4) was disappointing. He unleashed drives up to 320 yards, recorded a 77.78% green hit rate with irons, and averaged 1.71 putts per hole. He expressed confidence, saying, "My shot feel is good."

'PO No. 1' Justin Thomas joined the tie for 30th place, while No. 2 Collin Morikawa (both USA) faltered at even par, tied for 85th. World No. 1 Jon Rahm (Spain) and Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) also remained at 2 under par, tied for 53rd. Among the 'K squad,' Kim Si-woo (25) is performing well, tied for 30th. Kang Sung-hoon (33) is tied for 72nd at 1 under par, Im Sung-jae (22) tied for 116th at 4 over par, and An Byeong-hun (29, both CJ Logistics) fell to tied for 120th at 6 over par.

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