Kim Seong-hyun Ties for 2nd Place "Did You See the 9-Under?"... Mitchell Leads by 5 Shots

The CJ Cup Day 2: Spieth and Scott Tied for 2nd, McIlroy, Kang Sung-hoon, and Kim Min-kyu Tied for 19th, Thomas Tied for 28th

Kim Seong-hyun is teeing off on the 1st hole on the second day of the CJ Cup. Las Vegas, USA - Photo by Getty Images/Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is the whirlwind of Kim Seong-hyun (23, Webcash).

On the 16th (Korean time), at The Summit Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (par 72, 7,431 yards), during the second day of the 4th round of the 2021/2022 PGA Tour season, The CJ Cup (total prize money $9.75 million), he surged with a 9-under-par to leap into a tie for 2nd place (13-under-par 131 strokes). This group includes Jordan Spieth and Harry Higgs (both USA), and Adam Scott (Australia). Keith Mitchell (USA) took the top spot on the leaderboard (18-under-par 126 strokes).

Starting from a tie for 26th place, 7 strokes behind, Kim Seong-hyun showcased perfect play by collecting 1 eagle and 7 birdies. He made consecutive birdies on holes 2 and 3, followed by a three-birdie streak on holes 5 to 7, reducing 5 strokes in the front nine. In the back nine, he kept the momentum with 'stepping stone birdies' on holes 12 and 14. On the final 18th hole (par 5), he demonstrated incredible power by making an eagle with a '2-on 1-putt'. His fairway hit rate was 85.71%, and his strokes gained putting was an outstanding 3.09 strokes.

He is 5 strokes behind the leader, and with two days remaining, he is in a position to challenge for the win. Kim Seong-hyun joined the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) in 2019 and has been active there. Last August, when the JGTO was suspended due to COVID-19, he played on the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Srixon (2nd division) Tour, went through Monday qualifiers, and won the major KPGA Championship. In July, he made headlines by winning the Japanese major PGA Championship.

Kis Mitchell is watching her tee shot immediately after hitting it on the 1st hole of the second day of The CJ Cup. Las Vegas, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

While Mitchell surged to the lead by reducing 8 strokes, Robert Streb (USA), who was the surprise leader the previous day, slipped to a tie for 8th place (11-under-par 133 strokes). Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) is tied for 19th place (9-under-par 135 strokes), two-time champion Justin Thomas (2017 and 2019) is tied for 28th (8-under-par 136 strokes), and 2018 champion Brooks Koepka (all USA) is tied for 35th (7-under-par 137 strokes). 'Number 2' Dustin Johnson (USA) improved by 6 strokes to a tie for 55th place (4-under-par 140 strokes).

Korea's Kang Sung-hoon (34) and Kim Min-kyu (20) are performing well, tied for 19th place. 'Shriners Champion' Im Sung-jae (23) reduced 3 strokes but dropped to a tie for 35th place. Lee Kyung-hoon (30) is tied for 49th (5-under-par 139 strokes), Kim Si-woo (26), Ahn Byung-hoon (30, both CJ Logistics), and Lee Jae-kyung (22, CJ O Shopping) are tied for 55th, Kim Joo-hyung (19, CJ Logistics) and Shin Sang-hoon (23) are tied for 63rd (3-under-par 141 strokes), and Kim Han-byul (25, SK Telecom) is tied for 71st (1-under-par 143 strokes).