Siwoo Kim "5-under par good start~"... What about 'Hulk' DeChambeau?

On the First Day of Rocket Mortgage Classic, Rookie Thompson Leads at 9 Under Par, Tied for 7th, Advancing Toward 2nd Win; DeChambeau Suddenly Parts Ways with Caddie

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] ‘American Express Champ’ Kim Si-woo (26, CJ Logistics, photo) is off to a good start.

On the 2nd (Korean time), at the Detroit Golf Club in Michigan, USA (par 72, 7,370 yards), the first day of the PGA Tour Rocket Mortgage Classic (total prize money $7.5 million) opened, and he posted 5-under-par to tie for 7th place. Rookie David Thompson (USA) leads with 9-under-par, with Tom Lewis (England), Joaquin Niemann (Chile), and Brandon Hagy tied for 2nd at 7-under-par. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau (USA) is struggling with even par as his iron shots falter.

It is interesting that Kim Si-woo won his third career victory in January at the American Express, his first since May 2017’s ‘fifth major’ The Players Championship, after a long gap of 3 years and 8 months. He competed in the lead pack throughout all four rounds, especially shooting 8-under-par on the final day. Since then, he surprisingly missed the cut five times and withdrew twice. Fortunately, he regained his shot form by finishing tied for 9th at the Memorial Tournament on the 7th of last month.

On this day, Kim Si-woo combined six birdies and one bogey. Although the bogey on the 6th hole (par 4) was unsettling, he immediately recovered with an ‘eagle-like birdie’ on the 7th hole (par 5). His third shot was very close to the hole. He made another birdie on the back nine’s 10th hole (par 4), and notably, two pairs of consecutive birdies on holes 13-14 and 17-18 stood out. He paired a 306-yard long drive with a green hit rate of 77.78%, showcasing his ‘computer iron shots.’ His green play was also excellent, averaging 1.57 putts per hole, a ‘stingy putting’ performance.

‘Twist swing’ Matthew Wolff (USA) joined the tie for 7th place, and power hitter Bubba Watson (USA) is looking for an opportunity from a tie for 20th at 4-under-par. The Korean contingent includes Im Sung-jae (23) and Kang Sung-hoon (34), who are tied for 36th at 3-under-par along with the ‘oldest major champ’ Phil Mickelson (USA), Lee Kyoung-hoon (30) tied for 56th at 2-under-par, An Byeong-hoon (30, CJ Logistics) tied for 87th at 1-under-par, and Choi Kyung-ju (51, SK Telecom) tied for 110th at even par.

DeChambeau made headlines off the course by parting ways with his caddie Tim Tucker just before this tournament. The spotlight intensified as Tucker had collaborated on all eight of DeChambeau’s wins. Although a staff member from his agency Cobra stepped in as caddie in a hurry, it seems to have dealt a critical blow to his performance. DeChambeau’s agent said, “Both were exhausted,” and explained, “Like most player-caddie relationships, there are good times and bad times,” citing “complex reasons.”

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