Kim Seong-hyun's 'Rookie Storm'... "5 Under Par in 16 Holes"

Kim Seong-hyun Tied 4th, One Stroke Behind on Sony Open First Day
Spieth and Kirk Tied for Lead, Choi Kyung-ju Tied 11th

It is the ‘Rookie Storm’ of Kim Seong-hyun (photo).

On the 12th (local time), Kim Seong-hyun shot 5 under par over 16 holes on the first day of the Sony Open (total prize money $7.9 million) of the 2022/2023 PGA Tour season held at Waialae Country Club (par 70, 7,044 yards) in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, placing him in a tie for 4th place. Six players, including Jordan Spieth, Chris Kirk, Taylor Montgomery, who share the lead (6 under par 64), and Harris English (all from the USA), joined the group tied for 4th. Some players were unable to finish their rounds due to sunset.

Kim Seong-hyun collected five birdies without any bogeys. In the front nine, he reduced two strokes with birdies on the 5th hole (par 4) and the 9th hole (par 5). In the back nine, he continued his momentum with a birdie on the 12th hole and consecutive birdies on the 14th and 15th holes (both par 4). His long drives of up to 350 yards and an 80% greens in regulation rate were outstanding. He is just one stroke behind the joint leaders, presenting an opportunity to aim for his first career win in only his ninth tournament this season.

Kim Seong-hyun has won two major titles in Korea and Japan: the 2020 KPGA Korean Tour KPGA Championship and the 2021 Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) PGA Championship. On the final day of the JGTO Golf Partner Pro-Am Tournament, he recorded a ‘dream 58’. Last season, he earned the Rookie of the Year award by finishing in the top 10 five times, including two runner-up finishes on the Korn Ferry (second-tier) Tour. This season, he joined the PGA Tour and finished tied for 4th at the Shriners Children’s Open last October. He currently ranks 47th in the FedEx Cup standings (199 points) and 50th in the money list ($558,110).

‘Tank’ Choi Kyung-ju collected five birdies (one bogey). He is tied for 11th place (4 under par 66). Choi debuted on the PGA Tour in 2000 and has accumulated 10 career wins as the ‘eldest brother’. He won this tournament in 2008 and has been playing on the Champions (Senior) Tour for the past two years. Starting this year, he decided to increase the number of regular tour events he participates in and made his first start in Hawaii. Choi said, “I enjoyed playing while recalling when I won in 2008,” and added, “I will work harder in the remaining rounds to achieve good results.”

Kim Si-woo and last year’s runner-up Russell Henley (USA) are tied for 22nd place (3 under par 67), while defending champion Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) is tied for 41st place (2 under par 68). Lee Kyung-hoon is tied for 53rd place (1 under par 69), and An Byeong-hun is tied for 79th place (even par 70). On the other hand, Im Sung-jae is tied for 101st place (1 over par 71), and ‘PGA crowd-puller’ Kim Joo-hyung finished tied for 115th place (2 over par 72).

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