Juhyung Kim 'Entering Normal Orbit'... 'Refreshing Start Tied 12th'

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‘PGA star attraction’ Kim Joo-hyung has returned to his former form.

Kim Joo-hyung is taking his second shot on the 2nd hole of the 1st round at the Memorial Tournament. [Dublin (USA) = AFP·Yonhap News]

On the 6th (local time), at the opening round of the PGA Tour Memorial Tournament (total prize money $20 million) held at Muirfield Village Golf Club (par 72, 7,569 yards) in Dublin, Ohio, USA, Kim shot 2-under 70 to tie for 12th place. Adam Hadwin (Canada) leads with 6-under 66, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is second with 5-under 67, and world No. 2 Xander Schauffele (both USA) share third place at 4-under 68.

Kim Joo-hyung recorded three birdies and one bogey. He cruised with birdies on the 4th and 7th holes but made a bogey on the 13th hole (par 4) after sending his tee shot into the rough. He then parred the next four holes and finished the round on a high note with a birdie from about 3.3 meters on the final 18th hole (par 4). His accurate tee shots, missing the fairway only twice, were a driving force. His scrambling rate, making par or better when missing the green, was an impressive 83.33%. He is four strokes behind the leader, well positioned to compete for the title.

Kim joined the PGA Tour in 2022 and quickly made a name for himself with three wins in a short period. His skills and marketability were recognized to the extent that Nike became his sponsor. However, this year started somewhat sluggishly. His only top-10 finish was a tie for 4th place at last week’s RBC Canadian Open. Recently, Kim’s shot-making has improved, and he has set his sights on competing in the Paris Olympics this August. The qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics is based on the world rankings as of the 17th. The top two players from each country earn the right to participate. Currently, South Korea’s Kim Joo-hyung is ranked 22nd, Ahn Byung-hoon 26th, and Im Sung-jae 32nd.

Hadwin swept up eight birdies (two bogeys) to take control of the leaderboard. The world No. 59 player won his first PGA Tour title at the 2017 Valspar Championship. Scheffler, who has won four times this year, is chasing the leader by one stroke, aiming for his fifth win of the season and 11th career victory. Major champion and PGA Championship winner Schauffele has also joined the title race. Defending champion Viktor Hovland (Norway) is tied for 7th at 3-under 69, and world No. 3 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) is in the group tied for 12th.

From South Korea, Ahn Byung-hoon recorded four birdies, one bogey, and one double bogey. After struggling in the rough on the 3rd hole (par 4) and losing two strokes, he steadily made birdies to join the under-par group, tied for 19th at 1-under 71. Kim Si-woo exchanged four birdies for four bogeys and is tied for 26th at even par 72, eyeing a move up the leaderboard. Im Sung-jae faced difficulties with four birdies, three bogeys, one double bogey, and one triple bogey, tied for 55th at 4-over 76.

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