Kang Sung-hoon Leads "10 Under Par Early Surge"... Im Sung-jae 2nd "Am I Also 8 Under Par?"

Excitement for Korean Team on Day One of Shriners Children's Open: Hoffman and Remy Tied for 2nd, Matsuyama Tied for 10th

Kang Sung-hoon is watching the ball right after his second shot on the 9th hole on the first day of the Shriners Children's Open. Las Vegas, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "One eagle, nine birdies, and one bogey."

This was the strong start by Kang Sung-hoon (34). On the 8th (Korean time) at Summerlin TPC in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (par 71, 7,255 yards), the third event of the 2021/2022 PGA Tour season, the Shriners Children's Open (total prize money $7 million), Kang surged with a 10-under par on the first day, immediately taking the top spot on the leaderboard. Im Sung-jae (23) is chasing in a tie for second place, two strokes behind (8-under par 63). Defending champion Martin Laird (Scotland) remained tied for 29th at 4-under par.

Kang Sung-hoon gained momentum with birdies on the first hole, the 10th (par 4), and the 13th (par 5), followed by consecutive birdies on the 15th and 16th holes. He made 'stepping stone birdies' on the 18th hole (par 4) and the 2nd hole of the back nine (par 4), and recovered from his only bogey on the 3rd hole (par 4) with a birdie on the 4th hole (par 4). He then made consecutive birdies on the 6th and 7th holes, and capped it off with an eagle on the final 9th hole (par 5). It was remarkable that he succeeded in reaching the green in two shots from a 259-yard fairway bunker. He sank a 5.2-meter eagle putt.

Kang Sung-hoon is the 2019 AT&T Byron Nelson champion. He joined the PGA Tour in 2011 and became the sixth Korean player in history to win a PGA Tour event after 159 tournaments over eight years. He added momentum with a runner-up finish at the Genesis Invitational in February 2020. However, this year he has faced difficulties, missing the cut 17 times in 31 tournaments. This is a rare opportunity to change the momentum. He expressed confidence, saying, "I recently focused on improving accuracy through swing video analysis."

Im Sung-jae is moving to the 18th hole on the first day of the Shriners Children's Open. Las Vegas, USA - Photo by Getty Images/Multibits

Im Sung-jae also collected one eagle and six birdies. His eagle on the 9th hole, a 'two-on, one-putt,' and especially his five consecutive birdies from the 12th to the 16th holes on the back nine stood out. His eagle approach shot on the 13th hole (par 5) just brushed the hole, and his eagle putt on the 15th hole (par 5) stopped right beside the hole, continuing his inspired play. Charlie Hoffman and Chad Ramey (both USA) joined the group tied for second. Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) is tied for 10th at 6-under par.

At the top tier, Sam Burns (USA), winner of the Sanderson Farms Championship, started his bid for a 'second consecutive win' from a tie for 17th at 5-under par. He made seven birdies but suffered a critical double bogey when his tee shot on the 17th hole (par 3) landed in the water, leaving some regrets. Among the Korean contingent, Lee Kyung-hoon (30) is tied for 60th at 3-under par. Kim Si-woo (26, both from CJ Logistics) is tied for 99th at 1-under par, and No Seung-yeol (30) is tied for 126th at 1-over par, facing a tough path.

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