Im Sungjae "Good Start with 2-Under Par"... Spieth "On the March for Career Slam?"

103rd PGA Championship Day 1 Tied 8th, Kornos Surprises with 5-Under Par Lead, Koepka Tied 2nd, Spieth Tied 41st Falters

Im Sung-jae is watching the ball immediately after his tee shot on the 11th hole on the first day of the 103rd PGA Championship. Kiawah Island (South Carolina, USA) = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] World No. 23 Im Sung-jae (23, CJ Logistics) has made a strong start.

On the 21st (Korean time), at the opening day of the 103rd PGA Championship held at Kiawah Island Ocean Course (par 72, 7,876 yards) in South Carolina, USA, he posted 2-under par and stood tied for 8th place. Corey Conners (Canada) took a surprising lead at 5-under par, while six players, including 'Major Man' Brooks Koepka (USA) and Viktor Hovland (Norway), are fiercely competing for the title, tied for 2nd place at 3-under par 69, just two strokes behind.

Im Sung-jae recorded one eagle, three birdies, one bogey, and one double bogey. Starting at the 10th hole (par 4), he opened the scoring with 'stepping stone birdies' on the 11th and 13th holes. It was unfortunate that his tee shot on the 15th hole (par 4) landed in a waste bunker, resulting in a double bogey. He added a bogey with a '4-on 2-putt' on the 16th hole (par 4). His eagle on the 7th hole of the back nine (par 5) stood out. After successfully reaching the green in two shots from 241 yards, he sank a 3.6-meter putt, and a birdie on the 8th hole (par 3) propelled him into the 'top 10' in one go.

It is interesting that Im Sung-jae hit a maximum drive of 334 yards that day. Kiawah Island was set up at a whopping 7,876 yards this year. This is 200 yards longer than the 7,676 yards during the 2012 tournament. The previous longest major course was also 7,741 yards at Erin Hills, Wisconsin, USA, where the 2017 US Open was held. Long drives are a given, and accuracy to overcome the sea breeze is also necessary. He recorded a green hit rate of 66.67% with iron shots and an average of 1.75 putts per hole.

'Major Man' Brooks Koepka is examining the putting line on the 9th hole on the first day of the 103rd PGA Championship. Kiawah Island (South Carolina, USA) = Getty Images / Multibits

Experts are paying attention to Koepka's early surge. Among his eight career wins, four are majors, and he is particularly strong in high-stakes matches. He won back-to-back US Opens in 2017-2018 and this tournament in 2018-2019, and in July 2019, he claimed the FedEx St. Jude Invitational, sweeping the World Golf Championships (WGC) series titles. After disappearing from the scene following knee surgery last December, he revived his presence with a win at the Phoenix Open in February.

Defending champion Collin Morikawa is dreaming of defending his title from a tie for 8th place alongside Im Sung-jae. Last year, delayed by three months due to COVID-19, he won his first major in August on this 'promised land.' World stars like 'No. 3' Jon Rahm (Spain) and 'Hulk' Bryson DeChambeau remain tied for 31st at even par, struggling. DeChambeau, in particular, used his monstrous 378-yard drives to make five birdies but offset them with five bogeys, ending up where he started.

The 'Texas boy' Jordan Spieth (both USA) is also facing a thorny path in his bid to become the sixth 'Career Grand Slammer' in global golf history. With three birdies and four bogeys, he stands tied for 41st at 1-over par. 'Masters champion' Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) joined this group, while Justin Thomas (USA) and Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) are tied for 77th at 3-over par. For Korea, An Byeong-hun (30) is tied for 41st, Kim Si-woo (26) and Yang Yong-eun (49) are tied for 77th, and Lee Kyung-hoon (30, CJ Logistics) is tied for 127th at 6-over par.

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