Siwoo Kim "4-Under Par Start"... Cantlay "Have You Seen 10-Under Par?"

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Day 1 Tied 22nd, '19-Year-Old Young Gun' Batya Surprises in 2nd Place, Spieth at 7 Under Par 4th Place

Kim Si-woo is taking a shot at the 10th hole on the first day of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Pebble Beach, California, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "A 4-under-par start."

‘American Express Champ’ Kim Si-woo (26, CJ Logistics) had a steady start. On the 12th (Korean time) at Pebble Beach Golf Links in California, USA (par 72, 7,051 yards), during the first day of the PGA Tour AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (total prize money $7.8 million), he posted a 4-under-par and stood tied for 22nd place. The ‘top favorite’ Patrick Cantlay leads with 10-under-par, and the ‘19-year-old young gun’ Akshay Bhatia (both from the USA) are dreaming of an upset from a two-stroke behind tie for 2nd place (8-under-par 64).

Kim Si-woo recorded five birdies and one bogey. He started well with consecutive birdies on holes 1 and 2, had his only bogey on hole 5 (par 3), but regained momentum with consecutive birdies on holes 6 and 7. He was a bit disappointed as he only managed to reduce one stroke on the back nine’s 13th hole (par 4). His ‘needle-like iron shots’ stood out, missing the fairway only three times and the green five times, and he added ‘stingy putting’ with an average of 1.69 putts per hole. He also complemented his short game by maintaining his score under pressure.

Patrick Cantlay, who competed in the same group, is a player to watch. He secured his first win of the 2021 season early at the Zozo Championship last October and is already challenging for his second win this season. Although he shot an incredible 11-under-par on the final day of the American Express, he couldn’t surpass Kim Si-woo and finished second, making this a ‘rematch’ of sorts. On this day, he collected 10 birdies. Above all, his ‘divine putting’ with an average of 1.34 putts per hole showed great power.

Locally, the spotlight is on Jordan Spieth (USA) in ‘resurrection mode.’ He is tied for 4th at 7-under-par. On the third day of the Phoenix Open, which ended on the 8th, he posted a daily best 10-under-par, sharpening his winning shot sense. In Korea, ‘Tank’ Choi Kyung-ju (51, SK Telecom) is tied for 75th at even par at Spyglass Hill (par 72, 7,041 yards). Kang Sung-hoon (34, CJ Logistics) and Noh Seung-yul (31) are tied for 97th at 1-over-par, and Bae Sang-moon (35) is tied for 118th at 2-over-par.

Patrick Cantlay is putting on the 17th hole during the first day of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Pebble Beach, California, USA - Photo by Getty Images/Multivitz

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