Ram starts with 8 under par "PO Ranking No.1 in sight~"... What about the 'K Trio'?

'PO Round 1' The Northern Trust Leader from Day One, Defending Champ Johnson at 1 Under Par Falters, Korea's Im Sung-jae and Lee Kyoung-hoon Even Par Tied 52nd

World No. 1 Jon Rahm is preparing for a tee shot on the 15th hole on the first day of the 'PO Round 1' at The Northern Trust. Jersey City, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] It is the ‘PO spurt’ of world No. 1 Jon Rahm (Spain).

On the 20th (Korean time), at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA (par 71, 7,410 yards), the first round of the PGA Tour Playoffs (PO) first leg, The Northern Trust (total prize money $9.5 million), began with Rahm shooting 8 under par from the start, successfully taking the initiative. Justin Thomas is tied for the lead, and Harold Varner III (USA) is chasing in third place, three strokes behind at 5 under par 66. The ‘K 3 musketeers’ seem to be walking a thorny path.

Rahm made eight birdies. He started well with a birdie on the 3rd hole (par 4), accelerated with three consecutive birdies from the 6th to 8th holes, and in the back nine, he continued the momentum with a birdie on the 13th hole (par 5) followed by three consecutive birdies from the 15th to 17th holes. With drives up to 350 yards and a greens-in-regulation rate of 83.33%, he also deployed his ‘computer iron shots.’ Currently ranked 5th in the PO rankings, a win in this tournament could immediately propel him past Collin Morikawa (USA) to No. 1.

Rahm was the first Spanish player to win the US Open, the ‘national title of America,’ last June. Two weeks before the US Open, he surged to an 8-under-par on the third day of the Memorial Tournament, leading by six strokes, but had to withdraw due to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, an unfortunate event he has now more than compensated for. Interestingly, he contracted COVID-19 again just before the Tokyo Olympics. Returning to the field after three weeks, he is immediately demonstrating his ‘Number 1 power.’

Thomas has joined the winning competition after a long time. It is an opportunity to claim his second victory in five months since March’s ‘fifth major,’ The Players Championship. Among the leaders, Adam Scott (Australia) is tied for 4th at 4 under par, Patrick Cantlay (USA) is tied for 10th at 3 under par, and Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) is tied for 15th at 2 under par. Defending champion Dustin Johnson struggled with his iron shots and remained tied for 34th at 1 under par.

‘Tokyo Olympic gold medalist’ Xander Schauffele (USA) joined this group. For Korea, Im Sung-jae (23) and Lee Kyung-hoon (30) are tied for 52nd at even par, and Kim Si-woo (26, both from CJ Logistics) is tied for 72nd at 1 over par. Two-time winner Bryson DeChambeau (USA) is tied for 52nd; his ‘rollercoaster play’ with 9 birdies, 5 bogeys, and 2 double bogeys was disappointing. Morikawa fell to tied 102nd at 3 over par, putting his ‘PO No. 1’ position in jeopardy.

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