Kim Seong-hyun's Fiery Debut: "Did You See the Rookie Power?"... 6-Under Par Excitement with An Byeong-hun's 1st Division Comeback

Sung Hyun Kim and Byung-Hun An Tied for 2nd Place at 9:30 AM in Round 1 of the Fortinet Championship
Lower Leads at 7 Under Par, Fowler and Taylor Tied for 4th at 5 Under Par
Matsuyama at 3 Under Par, Sung Kang at 2 Under Par, Seung-Yul Noh at 1 Under Par

Kim Seong-hyun (right) is discussing hole strategy with his caddie on the fairway of the 18th hole on the first day of the Fortinet Championship. Napa, USA - Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Rookie Kim Seong-hyun (24) had a fiery debut.

On the 15th (local time), at the Silverado Resort and Spa (par 72, 7,123 yards) in Napa, California, USA, the opening event of the 2022-2023 PGA Tour season, the Fortinet Championship (total prize money $8 million), Kim shot 6-under par on the first day. As of 9:30 AM, he is tied for 2nd place along with An Byeong-hun (31). Justin Lower leads (7-under par), while Ricky Fowler (both from the USA) and Nick Taylor (Canada) are tied for 4th place (5-under par, 67 strokes) in pursuit.

Kim Seong-hyun recorded 8 birdies and 2 bogeys. After three consecutive birdies from holes 3 to 5, he took a brief breather with a bogey on the 6th hole (par 4), then added consecutive birdies on the 8th and 9th holes, followed by two more birdies on the 11th hole (par 3) and 14th hole (par 4). A bogey on the 16th hole (par 5) was immediately recovered with a birdie on the 17th hole (par 4), finishing the round on a high note. He powered his round with a 77.78% greens in regulation rate and an average of 1.429 putts per hole. Positioned tied for 2nd place, one stroke behind the leader, he laid the foundation for a victory.

Kim Seong-hyun is a player who has won two major titles in Korea and Japan: the KPGA Championship on the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour in August 2020, and the Japan PGA Championship on the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) in July last year. In May, at the JGTO Golf Partner Pro-Am Tournament final day, he drew even more spotlight by shooting '12-under par 58' with two eagles and eight birdies. He is the second player in JGTO history to achieve this, following Ryo Ishikawa (Japan, August 2016, Junichi Crowns 4 rounds).

Last season, Kim Seong-hyun played in 22 events on the Korn Ferry Tour (the second-tier tour), finishing no wins but with two runner-ups, one third place, and five top-10 finishes. He ranked 12th on the money list, earning his PGA Tour card for this season. The Korn Ferry Tour grants PGA Tour cards to the top 25 players in the regular season points standings.

Ahn Byung-hoon is reading the putting line on the 7th hole on the first day of the Fortinet Championship. Napa (USA) = Photo by AFP Yonhap News

An Byeong-hun, who lost his PGA Tour card and was determined to make a comeback on the Korn Ferry Tour, also collected seven birdies and one bogey. Last season, An participated in 20 events, achieving one win and one runner-up, finishing 13th in ranking points. Strong favorite Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) started comfortably tied for 17th place (3-under par, 69 strokes). Korea’s Kang Sung-hoon (35) is tied for 32nd place (2-under par), and No Seung-yeol (31), who advanced through Monday qualifying, is tied for 55th place (1-under par).

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