"Kim Si-woo 2 Under, Im Sung-jae 1 Under"... '24-Year-Old Rookie' Young Starts Strong with 8 Under Early (Summary)

RBC Heritage Day 1: Niemann 6-Under Par 2nd, 'PO Champ' Cantlay, Rory, and Connors Tied 3rd at 5-Under Par in Chase

Kim Si-woo is teeing off at the 5th hole on the first day of the RBC Heritage. Hilton Head (USA) = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] It is a revenge match for Kim Si-woo (27), ranked 47th in the world.

On the 15th (Korean time), at the Harbour Town Golf Links (par 71, 7,121 yards) in Hilton Head, South Carolina, USA, the first day of the PGA Tour RBC Heritage (total prize money $8 million) opened, and Kim recorded 2-under par to settle in a tie for 32nd place. The '24-year-old rookie' Cameron Young (USA) surprisingly took the lead at 8-under par, Genesis Invitational champion Joaquin Niemann (Chile) is in second place, two strokes behind (6-under par 65), and 'Playoff (PO) champion' Patrick Cantlay (USA) is chasing from a tie for third at 5-under par.

Kim Si-woo especially has a painful memory from 2018 when he was tied for the lead with Satoshi Kodaira (Japan) at 12-under par 272, but lost in the third hole of the playoff resumed at the 17th hole (par 3) with a par. Kodaira appeared as an invited player at that time, which made the disappointment even greater. On this day, Kim made three birdies and one bogey. He made birdies consecutively on the 5th, 9th, and 15th holes, but made a bogey on the 16th hole (par 4) after his second shot landed in a greenside bunker near the end.

Cameron Young is delivering a powerful punch shot on the 12th hole during the first day of the RBC Heritage. Hilton Head, USA = Getty Images / Multivitz

Locally, attention was focused on Young's early surge. He is a player who entered the PGA Tour this year after winning twice on the Korn Ferry (second-tier) Tour last year. He caused some frustration by finishing tied for second twice, at the Sanderson Farms Championship included in the 2022 season last October and at the Genesis Invitational last February. Above all, it is worth noting that he is a long hitter with an average drive distance of 318.2 yards (3rd place). On this day as well, he hit a maximum 320-yard drive and combined it with an average of 1.43 putts per hole, racking up eight birdies.

Although it is right after the Masters, many world stars have entered the stage, making the race for the championship tough. Shane Lowry (Ireland), who finished third at the Masters, and Corey Conners (Canada), who finished sixth, joined Cantlay's group tied for third to seek revenge. Defending champion Stewart Cink is challenging to defend his title from a tie for 10th at 4-under par. He recalls the thrilling memory of last year's four-stroke victory (19-under par 265), showcasing his 'veteran power.'

2020 champion Webb Simpson is tied for 32nd, another contender. He is particularly strong at Harbour Town, with a tie for 5th in 2018 and a tie for 9th last year. 'Number 3' Collin Morikawa (both USA) remains at 1-under par tied for 54th, showing no presence yet. From Korea, Im Sung-jae (24) is tied for 54th. Interestingly, he made only one birdie on the 15th hole (par 5), and all the other 17 holes were pars. Kang Sung-hoon (35) is tied for 71st at even par, and Lee Kyoung-hoon (31) finished tied for 92nd at 1-over par.

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