World No.1 Ram "Good Start with 6-Under on South Course"... Hosial Leads with 9-Under Par

Farmers Insurance Open Day 1: Tied 5th Start, Thompson 8-Under 2nd, Im Seongjae Tied 53rd with 2-Under

World No. 1 Jon Rahm is teeing off at the 5th hole on the first day of the Farmers Insurance Open. San Diego, USA ? Photo by Getty Images/Multivitz

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] World No. 1 Jon Rahm (Spain) has made a strong start.

On the 27th (Korean time), at the Torrey Pines Golf Course South Course (par 72, 7,765 yards) in San Diego, California, USA, the first day of the PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open (total prize money $8.4 million) saw him shoot 6-under par to tie for 5th place. This year, considering the NFL schedule, the tournament started on Wednesday local time and will end on Saturday. Billy Horschel (USA) dominated the leaderboard with a 9-under par on the relatively easier North Course (par 72, 7,258 yards).

Rahm recorded 1 eagle, 6 birdies, and 2 bogeys. He steadily accumulated birdies on holes 1, 6, 9, and 11, had his first bogey on the 12th hole (par 4) after missing the green, but regained momentum with consecutive birdies on holes 13 and 14. The highlights were a second bogey on the 15th hole (par 4) and an eagle on the final 18th hole (par 5). From a distance of 277 yards, he succeeded in reaching the green in two shots and confidently sank a 3.8-meter eagle putt. He added a maximum drive of 334 yards, a fairway hit rate of 71.43%, and a green hit rate of 83.33%, demonstrating precise striking.

It is interesting that Torrey Pines is known as the "promised land" where Rahm earned his first PGA Tour victory in 2017. Attention should be paid to the fact that he sank an 18.5-meter eagle putt on the final 18th hole (par 5) that year. He has shown particular strength at Torrey Pines with a tie for 5th in 2019, runner-up in 2020, and a tie for 7th last year. In the US Open held on the same course last September, he achieved a one-stroke come-from-behind victory, setting a new milestone as the first Spanish US Open champion.

Billy Horschel surged to 9 under par on the first day of the Farmers Insurance Open, taking a one-stroke lead.

Horschel collected 9 birdies, powered by an average of 1.47 birdies per hole and "stingy putting." The second round score on the South Course has become crucial. Michael Thompson is also in 2nd place, one stroke behind, with an 8-under par on the North Course. "Number 4" Dustin Johnson's first outing of the year resulted in a 4-under par on the South Course, tied for 31st, joined by "Number 6" Justin Thomas and Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele in this group. "American Express Champion" Hudson Swafford's bid for a second consecutive win stopped at 2-under par, tied for 53rd.

"Hulk" Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka are both tied for 53rd. They faltered on the North Course, which was disappointing. Defending champion Patrick Reed (USA) and two-time champion Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) remained tied for 96th at even par. From Korea, "Shriners Champion" Im Sung-jae (24) advanced to the second round tied for 53rd. Kim Si-woo (27) is tied for 76th at 1-under par, Noh Seung-yul (32) tied for 113th at 1-over par, and Kang Sung-hoon (35) tied for 126th at 2-over par.

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