Jomin-gyu "4-Under Par Spurt~"... 'Top of the Order' Kim Han-byeol Stumbles with 4-Over Par

Genesis Championship Day 1: Park Jeonghwan 2nd Place by 1 Stroke, 'Opening Champion' Lee Jihoon and 730 Tied for 4th in Pursuit

Jomin Kyu is teeing off at the 12th hole on the first day of the Genesis Championship. Photo by KPGA

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] It is the early sprint of Cho Min-kyu (32).

On the 8th, at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Songdo, Incheon (par 72, 7,350 yards), the first day of the KPGA Genesis Championship (total prize money 1.5 billion KRW) ended with a 4-under-par, taking the lead by one stroke. He is a player active between Korea and Japan. He recorded two wins on the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), winning the Kansai Open in 2011 and the Fujisankei Classic in 2016. Although he ranked only 70th in the prize money rankings last year, he managed to keep his tour card as the top qualifier in the Qualifying Tournament (QT).

It is interesting that Cho Min-kyu has yet to win on the domestic stage. He has been runner-up three times, in 2011, at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open last August, and in this tournament in 2017, which must have been frustrating. On this day, he recorded six birdies and two bogeys. He cheered, "Both my iron shots and putting were good." He added, "This season, due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), I am focusing on the Korean Tour, and I am determined to challenge for a win this time."

Park Jung-hwan (27) is in second place with 3-under-par, and Kim Tae-hoon (35) is in third place with 2-under-par. Lee Ji-hoon730 (34), who won the opening event, Woosung Construction Aramir CC Busan Gyeongnam Open in July, is challenging for his second win from a tie for fourth place at 1-under-par. The 'champion group' including Lee Soo-min (27) and Kim Sung-hyun (22) are tied for 12th at even par. 'Order of Merit leader' Kim Han-byul (24) dropped to a tie for 54th after losing four strokes due to shaky iron shots, and 'number 2' Lee Chang-woo is also struggling at a tie for 29th with 2-over-par.

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