Lee Tae-hee's 2 Consecutive Wins March "Tied 7th, 2 Strokes Behind"... Go Guntaek and Lee Won-jun Share Lead

Hazzys Golf KPGA Open Day 1: 5-Under Start, Choi Jin-ho and Jeon Ga-ram at 4-Under, Moon Kyung-jun at 3-Under 'Chasing Battle'

Lee Tae-hee is taking his second shot on the 13th hole on the first day of the Hazzys Golf KPGA Open. Photo by KPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is the '2 consecutive wins march' of Lee Tae-hee (36, OK Savings Bank), the 'Maekyung Open champ.'

On the 27th, at the Hill-Mountain Course (par 72, 7,209 yards) of Ildong Lake Golf Club in Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, despite the harsh conditions with strong winds on the first day of the KPGA Korean Tour Hazzys Golf KPGA Open (total prize money 500 million KRW), Lee posted a 5-under-par to sit tied for 7th place. Jeong Jae-hyun (35), Yoon Jung-ho (29, Ilhwa), and Kim Min-soo (30, Volvik) joined this group. Rookie Ko Gun-taek (21) and Lee Won-jun (Australia) surged with 7-under-par rounds, dominating the top of the leaderboard.

Lee Tae-hee showcased flawless play with five birdies and no bogeys. After reducing two strokes in the front nine with birdies on the 1st hole (par 4) and 6th hole (par 5), he added birdies on the 11th and 13th holes as 'stepping stone birdies' and another birdie on the 17th hole (par 5) in the back nine. Although his shots wavered, his 'stingy putting' stood out with only 25 putts during the round. He is two strokes behind the co-leaders, laying the foundation for his second win of the season and fifth career victory after successfully defending his title for the first time in tournament history at last week's Maekyung Open.

Lee Tae-hee is a late bloomer who debuted on the Korean Tour in 2006 and won wire-to-wire at the 2015 NEPS Heritage. He topped the Genesis Championship in 2018, hitting the jackpot of 300 million KRW, and last year he became the first major champion at the Maekyung Open. This year, by successfully defending his title for the second consecutive time, he ranks second in both the Player of the Year standings (1,321 points) and prize money (169.54 million KRW). If he wins this tournament, he will become the first player in six years since Park Sang-hyun (37, Dong-A Pharmaceutical) in 2014 to win two consecutive weeks.

Goguntaek is teeing off at the 13th hole on the first day of the Hazzy's Golf KPGA Open. Photo by KPGA

"After the win, my body was tired, so my shot feeling was not good," said Lee Tae-hee, adding, "My putting was decent, so I was able to reduce strokes. I will focus as much as possible in the remaining rounds," expressing his determination for the second consecutive win. Ko Gun-taek and Lee Won-jun both demonstrated perfect skills by collecting seven birdies each. Kim Han-byul (24, Golfzon), Kim Byung-jun (38), Baek Ju-yeop (33), and Park Jeong-hwan (27) are watching for a comeback opportunity in a tie for 3rd place, just one stroke behind (6-under-par 66).

Choi Jin-ho (36, Hyundai Steel), who won the Player of the Year title consecutively in 2016-2017, 'Pocheon man' Jeon Ga-ram (25, Volvik), and Lee Chang-woo (27, Srixon) started comfortably tied for 11th place (4-under-par 68). Last year's Player of the Year Moon Kyung-jun (38, Husem) is tied for 19th (3-under-par 69), while Player of the Year leader Lee Soo-min (27, Srixon) and prize money leader Kim Sung-hyun (22, Golfzon) are tied for 39th (1-under-par 71). Due to the influence of Typhoon 'Bavi,' the start was delayed by about an hour, and some players were unable to finish their rounds.