'Prize Money Leader' Kim Joo-hyung "6-Under Par Start"... Seo Yo-seop "Shaken by Quadruple Bogey"

DGB Financial Group Irvine Open Day 1: Lee Tae-hoon, Choi Min-cheol, and Kim Min-jun Share Lead, Baek Seok-hyun 1 Stroke Behind in 5th Place

Kim Juhyung is hitting a wood shot on the 18th hole on the first day of the DGB Financial Group Irvine Open. Photo by KPGA

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] It is the early sprint of prize money leader Kim Joo-hyung (19, CJ Logistics).

On the 16th, at the opening day of the Korean Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour DGB Financial Group Irvine Open (total prize money 500 million won) held at Pam Hills Golf Club in Chilgok-gun, Gyeongbuk (par 71, 7,215 yards), he shot 6 under par and immediately took the top spot on the leaderboard. Lee Tae-hoon (Canada), Choi Min-cheol (33), and Kim Min-jun (31) are tied for first place, while Baek Seok-hyun (31) is chasing in 5th place, one stroke behind at 5 under par 66. Two-time champion Seo Yo-seop (25, DB Insurance) is tied for 27th at 2 under par.

It is interesting that Kim Joo-hyung was cut off at the Shinhan Donghae Open, which ended on the 13th. This added motivation for regaining his self-esteem. On this day, he actually collected 8 birdies (2 bogeys). He started well with birdies on the 2nd and 5th holes, had consecutive bogeys on the 6th and 7th holes, but regained momentum with a birdie on the 9th hole (par 4) and three consecutive birdies on the back nine from the 13th to 15th holes. He added consecutive birdies on the final 17th and 18th holes. He fired up his fighting spirit, saying, "I will wash away the regrets from the last tournament."

The frontrunners include ‘Yamaha Owners K Open Champion’ Kim Han-byeol (25, SK Telecom) and second place in the overall ranking Park Sang-hyun (38, Dong-A Pharmaceutical), who are competing for the championship at 4 under par, tied for 6th place. Seo Yo-seop’s bid for a third win was halted by a quadruple bogey on the 10th hole (par 4). After struggling in the rough from the tee shot, he eventually suffered a critical blow with ‘5 on and 3 putts.’ It is surprising that he managed to make an under-par score by rallying with 5 birdies afterward. He is 4 strokes behind the leader, still in a good position to pursue the championship. 2019 champion Kim Bi-o (31) remained tied for 38th at 1 under par.