Lee Kyung-hoon 6-Under Par "Thrilling Revenge Start~"... Tigalala 7-Under Par Surprise Lead

2nd Place on Day One of Phoenix Open, Defending Champ Kepka Chases from 3rd at 5 Under, 'Number 1' Jon Rahm Tied 7th at 4 Under

Lee Kyung-hoon is teeing off at the 9th hole on the first day of the Phoenix Open. Scottsdale, USA = Photo by Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] Lee Kyung-hoon (31) has started a ‘thrilling revenge match’.

On the 11th (Korean time), at the Scottsdale TPC in Arizona, USA (par 71, 7,261 yards), the opening day of the PGA Tour Waste Management Phoenix Open (total prize money $8.2 million), he shot 6 under par to take second place by one stroke. While some players’ rounds were postponed due to sunset, Sais Tigal unexpectedly took the lead with 7 under par over 16 holes, and defending champion Brooks Koepka (both from the USA) is chasing in a tie for third place at 5 under par.

Lee Kyung-hoon recorded one eagle, five birdies, and one bogey. Starting at the 10th hole (par 4), he gained momentum with birdies on the 11th hole (par 4) and the 15th hole (par 5). Although he made a ‘3-putt bogey’ on the 17th hole (par 4), he quickly reduced four strokes over three holes on the back nine with a birdie on the 2nd hole (par 4), an eagle on the 3rd hole (par 5), and a birdie on the 4th hole (par 3). He finished pleasantly with a 4-meter birdie putt on the final 9th hole (par 4). Above all, his ‘stingy putting’ stood out with an average of 1.58 putts per hole.

This is a great opportunity for Lee Kyung-hoon to make up for last year’s runner-up finish. It is worth noting that he ranked 5th on the 2018 Korn Ferry (2nd tier) Tour money list, moved to the United States in 2019, finished 2nd in this tournament last year, and finally reached the PGA Tour champion status at the AT&T Byron Nelson in May. It is truly a ‘promised land.’ This tournament is especially known as the only ‘golf liberation zone’ in the global golf world where drinking and loud cheering are allowed. The entry restrictions, which were limited to 5,000 spectators per day last year due to COVID-19, have been lifted, and more than 100,000 galleries are expected to flock daily.

Saice Tigala is examining the putting line on the 2nd hole on the first day of the Phoenix Open. Scottsdale, USA - Photo by Getty Images/Multibits

Tigal swept up seven birdies. Koepka is a player to watch out for. With a green hit rate of 83.33% and pinpoint iron shots, he made six birdies (one bogey). World No. 1 Jon Rahm (Spain), ‘Playoff (PO) champion’ Patrick Cantlay, and ‘Tokyo Olympics gold medalist’ Xander Schauffele (all from the USA) are tied for 7th place at 4 under par, while Hideki Matsuyama (Japan), who has already won twice this 2022 season including the Zozo Championship in October last year and the Sony Open last month, is tied for 18th at 3 under par.

Tom Hoge, winner of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am that ended on the 7th, is tied for 32nd at 2 under par aiming for ‘back-to-back wins,’ while Jordan Spieth (both from the USA), who was held back by a bogey on the 17th hole (par 3) in the final round and finished second, is tied for 44th at 1 under par, engaging in a ‘return match.’ From Korea, Kim Si-woo (27) and Kang Sung-hoon (35) joined the tie for 44th place, and No Seung-yeol (32) remained tied for 85th at 1 over par alongside No. 3 Viktor Hovland (Norway).

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