Kim Hanbyeol "Did you see the 10-under par course record?"... "My putting felt great"

Kim Hanbyeol Leads DGB Financial Group Open Round 1 by One Stroke
Bae Yongjun 2nd, Choi Jaehun 3rd, Moon Doyeop 4th in Pursuit
Park Sanghyun Tied 14th, Choi Jinho Tied 31st, Seo Yoseop Tied 72nd

Kim Hanbyeol is reading the putting line on the 3rd hole on the first day of the DGB Financial Group Open. Photo by KPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Kim Han-byeol (26) is on a winning streak.

On the 22nd, at the Gyeongbuk Chilgok Palm Hills Country Club (Par 71, 7,215 yards), Kim Han-byeol set a course record of 10-under par on the first day of the KPGA Korean Tour DGB Financial Group Open (total prize money 500 million KRW), taking the top spot on the leaderboard. The previous record was 8-under par 63, set by Yoon Jung-ho (31) and Seo Hyung-seok (25) during the first round of the 2016 tournament.

Starting at the 10th hole (Par 4), Kim Han-byeol recorded 1 eagle, 9 birdies, and 1 bogey. Although he started shakily with a bogey at the 12th hole (Par 3), he changed the momentum with an eagle at the 13th hole (Par 5), followed by a strong surge with three consecutive birdies from the 15th to the 17th holes. He finished the round on a high note with five consecutive birdies from the 2nd to the 6th holes and a birdie at the 8th hole (Par 3). Leading by one stroke, he laid the groundwork for his fourth career win since his victory at the 2021 Yamaha Owners K Open.

"Although I made a bogey at the 12th hole, I was able to regain momentum with an eagle at the 13th hole," said Kim Han-byeol. "I didn’t lose the momentum and managed to make five consecutive birdies in the back nine. My putting felt really good throughout the round," he exclaimed.

Bae Yong-jun (22) collected 10 birdies (1 bogey) and stands in second place (9-under par 62). This is his chance for a second win of the season after his first career victory at the Honors K Solago CC Han Jang-sang Invitational in July. Bae Yong-jun expressed satisfaction, saying, "I recently returned from the U.S. to attend the Korn Ferry (second-tier) Tour Q-School, so I was still adjusting to the time difference, but I’m pleased to have achieved a good result. My tee shots went in the desired direction, and I maintained a good pace until the end."

Choi Jae-hoon (24) is in third place (7-under par 64), and Moon Do-yeop (31) is in fourth place (6-under par 65). Last year’s champion Park Sang-hyun (39) is tied for 14th place (3-under par 68). Last week’s Bizplay Electronic Newspaper Open winner Choi Jin-ho (38) is tied for 31st place (2-under par 69), and two-time champion Seo Yo-seop (26) is tied for 72nd place (1-over par 72).

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