Lee Kyung-hoon - Stanley 'Perfect Match for 3rd Place'..."I Like Team Battles"

'2-Person Team' Combines for 9-Under Par in Four-Ball on First Day of Zurich Classic, Hoblan-Ventura 'Norwegian Duo' Lead by One Stroke

Lee Kyung-hoon teamed up with Kyle Stanley in pairs for the first day of the Zurich Classic, jointly scoring 9 under par to tie for 3rd place.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] ‘Perfect Match’.

Lee Kyung-hoon (30, CJ Logistics) showed a particularly strong performance in the ‘team battle’. On the 23rd (Korean time) at the Louisiana Golf Club in Avondale, Louisiana, USA (par 72, 7,425 yards), the first day of the PGA Tour Zurich Classic (total prize money $7.3 million) opened with a four-ball format (two players each play their own ball and select the better score). Lee paired with Kyle Stanley (USA) to combine for 9 under par, tying for 3rd place. The ‘two-person team’ format continues with foursomes (alternating shots with one ball) in the second round.

Lee started strong with a birdie on the first hole (par 4), while Stanley made ‘stepping stone birdies’ on holes 2 and 4 and consecutive birdies on holes 8 and 9, creating momentum. Lee added a 1.2m birdie on the back nine’s 11th hole (par 5), and Stanley contributed three birdies late in the round on holes 13, 16, and 18. Stanley’s performance was relatively more dominant. He is a player who earned his second career win at the 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open and the 2017 Quicken Loans National.

It is noteworthy that Lee Kyung-hoon finished tied for 3rd in this tournament in 2019 with Matt Every (USA). Last year, the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19, and this year he is competing again for the title with Stanley. Lee notably achieved his personal best by finishing tied for 2nd at the Phoenix Open in February. After ranking 5th on the 2018 Korn Ferry Tour money list, he advanced to the PGA Tour in 2019 and has maintained his card for two consecutive years, gradually approaching the winner’s circle.

The Norwegian duo Viktor Hovland and Chris Ventura, along with Bryce Garnett and Scott Stallings (both USA), share the lead at 10 under par. Hovland and Ventura drew attention for their cost-effectiveness with non-overlapping birdies, and their ironclad defense was bolstered by Ventura blocking two bogeys with pars. The 26-year-old rookie Ventura’s strong performance stood out. Despite missing the cut 10 times in 17 events during the 2021 season, he helped Hovland with seven birdies on this day.

The frontrunners also include Billy Horschel and Sam Burns (both USA), winners of last month’s Dell Technologies Match Play, who joined the tie for 3rd place. The 2019 champions Jon Rahm (Spain) and Ryan Palmer (USA) stand tied for 15th at 7 under par, aiming to defend their title after two years. Korea’s Im Sung-jae (23) and An Byeong-hun (30, both CJ Logistics), along with K.J. Choi (51, SK Telecom) and Kang Sung-hoon (34, CJ Logistics), are tied for 48th at 4 under par. Bae Sang-moon (35) and Danny Lee (New Zealand) are tied for 62nd at 3 under par.