Cha Kang-ho, Fires 7-Under Par "Personal Best Score"

Woosung General Construction Open Day 1: Lee Won-jun and 4 Others Tied for 2nd, Park Sang-hyun and Kim Min-gyu Tied for 42nd

Cha Kang-ho is making an iron shot on the 9th hole of the first round at the Woosung General Construction Open. Photo by KPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] Cha Kang-ho (23), in his second year on the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour, topped the leaderboard on the first day of the second half season tournament.

On the 11th, Cha Kang-ho fired a 7-under-par 65 in the first round of the Woosung General Construction Open (total prize money 700 million KRW) held at South Links Yeongam Kyle Phillips Course (par 72, 7,557 yards) in Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do. He recorded an eagle on a shot, six birdies, and only one bogey, finishing the round smoothly. The 65 strokes is Cha Kang-ho’s personal lowest score. This is also his first time leading a Korean Tour event.

The South Links Yeongam Kyle Phillips Course was set at 7,557 yards, the longest in Korean Tour history. Although a thrilling shot battle among players was anticipated, strong winds blew from the morning, and raindrops began to fall in the afternoon. Cha Kang-ho’s concentration stood out in the harsh weather. He started shakily with a bogey on the 10th hole (par 5), but reduced his score by making consecutive birdies on the 13th hole (par 4) and 14th hole (par 3), and even recorded an eagle on the 16th hole (par 4).

In the back nine, he steadily made pars, then secured two pairs of consecutive birdies on the 5th-6th and 8th-9th holes, ultimately rising to the top. Cha Kang-ho utilized his strength in driver shots, rarely missing the fairway. He also showed noticeable improvement in putting, which had been prone to mistakes before. He made 26 putts that day. He explained, "During the three-week break, I changed my putter and focused on training."

Cha Kang-ho said, "Although the course was long, the wind calculations were accurate today, so it wasn’t particularly difficult," adding, "Changing my putter before the tournament improved the ball’s straightness and boosted my confidence in short-distance putts." He continued, "I am contemporaries with Lee Jae-kyung, Jung Chan-min, and Go Gun-taek, all of whom are well-known to fans and provide great motivation. I will not be greedy over the remaining three days and will play just like today."

Park Sung-je (28), Hwang Do-yeon (29), Choi Seung-bin (21), Lee Sang-yeop (28), and Lee Won-jun (Australia) posted 6-under-par 66, trailing Cha Kang-ho by one stroke. Last year’s champion Park Sang-hyun (39) started the tournament tied for 42nd place (2-under-par 70) with four birdies and two bogeys. Kim Min-gyu (21), who won the Kolon Korean Open in June and currently leads in both the Order of Merit points (3,968 points) and prize money (736.6 million KRW), is also in this group.

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