Lee Kyung-hoon at 1 Under Par Stalls "Regrets Double Bogey on 3rd Hole"... Teegala's 'Rookie Surge'

Phoenix Open Day 2 Tied 8th, Tigal Leads, Defending Champ Kepka 2 Strokes Behind in 2nd Place 'Chase'

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "The double bogey on the 3rd hole is regrettable."

Lee Kyung-hoon (31·photo) faltered with a 1-under par on the second day of the Waste Management Phoenix Open (total prize money $8.2 million) held on the 12th (Korean time) at Scottsdale TPC in Arizona, USA (par 71, 7,261 yards), dropping to a tie for 8th place (7-under par 135). Sais Tigala leads (12-under par 130), and defending champion Brooks Koepka (both from the USA) are fiercely competing for the title, tied for 2nd place at 2 strokes behind (10-under par 132).

Lee Kyung-hoon combined 3 birdies and 1 double bogey. The double bogey on the 3rd hole (par 5) was painful. His tee shot landed in the fairway bunker, and his third shot also ended up in the greenside bunker, resulting in a fatal '5 on 2 putts'. Compared to the eagle he made the previous day, he lost a total of 4 strokes. Fortunately, he recovered with 'stepping stone birdies' on the 9th and 11th holes, then added a '2 on 2 putts' birdie on the 15th hole (par 5). His average putts per hole were 1.82, and above all, he struggled on the greens.

It is worth noting that Lee Kyung-hoon finished 2nd in this tournament last year and finally joined the ranks of PGA Tour champions at the AT&T Byron Nelson in May. Being 5 strokes behind the leader, there is still plenty of room for redemption. Tigala made consecutive bogeys on the remaining 2 holes of the first round but resumed the second round with a 7-under par daily best, ultimately taking the top spot on the leaderboard. It is surprising that he is a 24-year-old rookie playing as an invitee.

Brooks Koepka is holing out with a par on the 16th hole on the second day of the Phoenix Open. Scottsdale, USA = Getty Images / Photo by Multibits

Koepka scored 5-under par for two consecutive days, aiming for a title defense and his third win including the 2015 victory. He is particularly strong in the 'golf liberation zone,' the only place in the global golf world where drinking, loud voices, and booing are allowed. Last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance was limited to 5,000 people per day, but now over 100,000 spectators have entered. 'Tokyo Olympic Gold' Xander Schauffele is tied for 2nd place, and 'Playoff (PO) Champion' Patrick Cantlay (both from the USA) are in 4th place (9-under par 133).

Hideki Matsuyama (Japan), who secured two wins early in the 2022 season at the Zozo Championship last October and the Sony Open last month, is tied for 13th place (6-under par 136), while world No. 1 Jon Rahm (Spain) remains tied for 23rd place (5-under par 137). Kim Si-woo (27) is tied for 34th place (4-under par 138), Kang Sung-hoon (35) tied for 55th place (2-under par 140), and Noh Seung-yul (32) was 'cut off' at tied 117th place (5-over par 147).

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