Baesangmun and Noh Seung-yeol 'Start Side by Side at 4 Under Par'

Puerto Rico Open 1R Tied 17th
Piercy and Hysmith Share Lead, Higo 3rd
Kang Seonghun Tied 43rd, Kim Sunghyun Tied 64th

It is Bae Sang-moon's moment of excitement.

Bae Sang-moon is teeing off at the 4th hole in the first round of the Puerto Rico Open. [Rio Grande (Puerto Rico) = AFP·Yonhap News]

On the 7th (local time), at the Grand Reserve Golf Club in Puerto Rico (par 72, 7,506 yards), Bae Sang-moon shot a 4-under-par 68 in the first round of the PGA Tour Puerto Rico Open (total prize money $4 million), placing him tied for 17th. The Puerto Rico Open is a tournament where lower-ranked players who did not qualify for the prestigious Arnold Palmer Invitational (total prize money $20 million) compete during the same period. Although the prize money is modest, the winner receives a two-year tour card, ensuring a stable tour career.

Bae Sang-moon recorded 7 birdies, 1 bogey, and 1 double bogey. He started with a birdie on the 2nd hole (par 5) and made three consecutive birdies from the 5th to 7th holes, showing a steep upward trajectory, but faltered with a bogey on the 9th hole and a double bogey on the 13th hole (both par 4s). However, he recovered with consecutive birdies on the 15th and 16th holes and another birdie on the final 18th hole (par 5), improving his position. He relied on a green hit rate of 83.33% and an average of 1.60 putts per hole. He is only three strokes behind the co-leaders.

Scott Piercy and Joe Highsmith (both from the United States) lead the leaderboard at 7-under-par 65. Four players, including Garrick Higgo (South Africa), are chasing closely at 6-under-par 66, tied for second place. From Korea, Noh Seung-yul started solidly, making 5 birdies (1 bogey) to tie for 17th. Kang Sung-hoon shot 2-under-par through 17 holes, sitting tied for 43rd. Kim Sung-hyun finished the first round tied for 64th at 1-under-par 71. The tournament was suspended for nearly two hours due to severe weather and was eventually postponed to the next day.

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