'Veteran Power' Kim Seunghyeok, Fierce 8-Under Par... Solo Lead After 1R

Overcoming Threat of Seed Forfeiture, Records 8 Birdies Without a Bogey

Seunghyuk Kim is hitting an iron shot on the 16th hole during the first round of the 'Golfzon-Doray Open' held on the 3rd at Golfzon County Seonsan in Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Tae-won Choi] Kim Seung-hyuk (36), who has been having the worst season facing the risk of losing his tour card, showed resilience in the final stretch of the season.

Kim Seung-hyuk, a two-time money list winner on the Korean Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Korean Tour, shot an 8-under-par 64 in the first round of the KPGA Korean Tour Golfzon·Toray Open (total prize money 700 million KRW) held on the 3rd at Golfzon County Seonsan Country Club (par 72) in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, taking the top spot on the leaderboard.

The veteran Kim Seung-hyuk, who has won four times on the Korean Tour, is one of the top players who won the money list twice in 2014 and 2017.

However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, he missed the cut 12 times and was ranked 90th in the money rankings (43.19 million KRW), making it uncertain whether he could retain his tour card.

Kim Seung-hyuk, who must finish in the top 8 in this tournament to qualify for the season finale LG Signature Players Championship, said, "I played the early season with very low confidence," adding, "I completely let go mentally before this tournament."

On this day, Kim Seung-hyuk showed excellent form by recording 8 birdies without a single bogey.

He led the first day of the LX Championship last September with a 7-under-par 65 but collapsed with a 5-over-par 77 in the second round, finishing tied for 25th. He said, "Back then, I couldn't control my emotions well. That won't happen tomorrow."

Ham Jung-woo (28), Shin Sang-hoon (24), and Lee Won-jun (Australia) formed the second-place group, just one stroke behind. Hwang Jung-gon (30) and Park Eun-shin (32) also recorded 6-under-par 66, chasing Kim Seung-hyuk by two strokes.

Genesis Championship winner Kim Young-soo (32) had a steady first day with 4-under-par 68. Money list leader Kim Min-gyu (21) posted 3-under-par 69.

Rising star Ahn Sung-hyun (13), who set records as the youngest participant and youngest to make the cut on the Korean Tour, finished the first round tied for 58th with 1-under-par 71.

Meanwhile, the players wore black ribbons on their caps to mourn the victims of the Itaewon tragedy and wore monochrome black and white uniforms. Some players also held a moment of silence before the round.

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