Kim Juhyung Not Outshined Even by McIlroy... Tied 3rd in Round 1 of The CJ Cup

5 Under Par 66, 1 Stroke Behind the Leader... Strong Start
Im Seongjae and Kim Siwoo Also in Contention, Tied 9th at 2 Strokes Back

Kim Joo-hyung (right) is walking while talking with Rory McIlroy after finishing his tee shot on the 14th hole of the first round at The CJ Cup. / Source=AFP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Taewon] Kim Juhyung (20) showed no signs of being outmatched in his head-to-head against Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), who has 22 career wins on the U.S. PGA Tour. He once again proved his strong nerves that were evident when he defeated world No. 4 Patrick Cantlay to win the Shriners Children's Open earlier this month.

On the 20th (local time), at the Congaree Golf Club (par 71, 7,655 yards) in Ridgeland, South Carolina, USA, Kim Juhyung recorded a 5-under 66 with six birdies and one bogey in the first round of the PGA Tour's The CJ Cup (total prize money $10.5 million). He is tied for 3rd place, just one stroke behind the co-leaders.

Kim Juhyung played in the same group as 'defending champion' Rory McIlroy and Ricky Fowler (USA) that day.

From the early stages of the round, Kim Juhyung's play stood out. He made consecutive birdies on the 4th hole (par 5) and 5th hole (par 3), and added another birdie on the 9th hole (par 4), reducing his score by three strokes in the front nine.

In the back nine, he continued to lower his score with birdies on the 13th hole (par 4), 16th hole (par 4), and 17th hole (par 4). The only blemish on his round was a bogey on the final 18th hole (par 4).

The co-leaders are Trey Mullinax and Gary Woodland (both USA), who shot 6-under 65. Alongside Kim Juhyung, Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), Aaron Wise, Wyndham Clark, Kurt Kitayama (all USA), and Cameron Davis (Australia) are clustered in a large group tied for 3rd place.

Kim Juhyung is watching the direction of the ball after his tee shot on the 4th hole of the first round at The CJ Cup. / Source=AFP Yonhap News

Im Sungjae (24) and Kim Siwoo (27) also entered the contention zone with 4-under 67, tied for 9th place. Lee Kyunghoon (31) shot 3-under 68 to sit tied for 15th.

Among the 13 players from the Korean Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Tour participating, Park Sanghyun (39) posted the best result with 2-under 69, tied for 26th place.

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