Kim Hanbyeol 4 Over Par "What's Wrong with the Tee Shot?"... Kim Seonghyeon "2 Wins GO~"

Choi Kyung-Joo Invitational Day 1 Tied 82nd "3 Consecutive Wins in Jeopardy", Choi Min-Cheol and Jung Jae-Hyun Tied for Lead

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "What’s wrong with the tee shot?"

The '2-time champion' Kim Han-byeol (22)'s 'march toward a 3rd consecutive win' has hit a red light. On the 24th, at Ferrum Golf Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 7,235 yards), the first day of the KPGA Korean Tour Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Choi Kyung-ju Invitational (total prize money 1 billion KRW), he struggled with a 4-over-par and is now in a position worrying about 'missing the cut.' Kim Sung-hyun (22), Choi Min-cheol (32), and Jung Jae-hyun (35) are tied for the lead at 4-under-par, while Choi Jin-ho (36, Hyundai Steel) and Kim Woo-hyun (29) are chasing in a tie for 4th place at 3-under-par.

Kim Han-byeol caused a sensation by sweeping '2 consecutive wins' at the August Hazzys Golf KPGA Open and the Shinhan Donghae Open on the 13th. It was the first time in 5 years and 11 months since Park Sang-hyun (37, Dong-A Pharmaceutical) won back-to-back titles at the Vainer-Pine Ridge Open in August 2014 and the KJ Invitational in October. This time, he is challenging a historic record for the first time in 20 years since Choi Kwang-soo (60) won three consecutive tournaments starting with the 2000 Hyundai Motor Masters, followed by the Pocari Sweat Open and the Bukyung Open.

Currently, he leads not only in wins but also in the overall points (2,975 points) and prize money (417.75 million KRW), making this a golden opportunity to sweep all individual titles. However, on this day, he fell back to a tie for 82nd place with 2 birdies, 2 bogeys, and 2 double bogeys. His tee shot troubles have come to a halt. He hit the fairway only once, and especially suffered critical blows with consecutive double bogeys on the 6th and 7th holes. On the 6th hole (par 4), his tee shot went out of bounds (OB), and on the 7th hole (par 4), his second shot was a miss.

On the other hand, Kim Sung-hyun is on a 'march toward 2 wins.' He became a major champion overnight by winning the KPGA Championship on the 9th of last month. After going through Monday qualifying, he has been under even more spotlight. He cheered, "To target the glassy greens, I switched from the previous straight putter to the M-shaped putter I used during practice, and it worked very well." Among the leaders, 2018 champion Park Sung-guk (32) is tied for 6th at 2-under-par, aiming to reclaim the top spot. Defending champion Lee Soo-min (27) remained tied for 46th at 2-over-par.