American Express First Day: Hodges Joins Co-Leaders, 'Number 1' Ram Chases at 6 Under Par Tied 13th
Lee Kyung-hoon (right) is discussing course strategy with his caddie at the 2nd hole on the first day of the American Express. La Quinta, USA = Getty Images / Multibits
[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] Lee Kyung-hoon (31) is off to a strong start.
On the 21st (Korean time), at the La Quinta PGA West Stadium Course (par 72, 7,113 yards) in California, USA, the first day of the PGA Tour American Express (total prize money $7.6 million) opened, and he confidently secured a tie for 3rd place by shooting 8 under par. ‘Playoff (PO) champ’ Patrick Cantlay and Lee Hodges (both from the USA) lead the tournament tied at 10 under par, while world number one Jon Rahm (Spain) is chasing from a tie for 13th at 6 under par.
Lee Kyung-hoon is the eighth Korean PGA champion in history. Last May, he achieved a 3-stroke victory at the AT&T Byron Nelson. After finishing 5th on the 2018 Korn Ferry (second-tier) Tour money list, he advanced to the PGA Tour in 2019, reaching this milestone in just 80 events. He built his skills in Korea and Japan, winning twice on the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) with the 2012 Nagashima Shigeo and 2015 Honma Tour World Cup, as well as back-to-back Korean Open titles in 2016 and 2017, known as Korea’s national title.
On this day, he recorded 10 birdies and 2 bogeys. Although he started shakily with a bogey on the first hole, the 10th (par 4), he recovered with consecutive birdies on the 11th and 12th holes, followed by a birdie on the 14th (par 4), and back-to-back birdies on the 16th and 17th holes and the 1st and 2nd holes of the back nine, gaining momentum. His green hit rate was 83.33%, powered by his pinpoint iron shots. It was unfortunate that his tee shot on the 5th hole of the back nine (par 5) went into a penalty area, resulting in his second bogey. Fortunately, he finished strong with three consecutive birdies on the final 7th to 9th holes.
Patrick Cantlay is executing a chip shot on the 8th hole during the first day of the American Express. La Quinta, USA = Getty Images / Multibits
Cantlay is competing for the win at La Quinta (par 72, 7,060 yards) with one eagle and eight birdies. He is the strongest favorite to win. Since October 2019, he has won the Zozo Championship included in the 2021 season, the Memorial Tournament in June last year, the ‘PO second leg’ BMW Championship in August, and capped it off with the ‘$15 million jackpot’ at the Tour Championship, the final third leg of the PO, in September. He is motivated by revenge after finishing second in this tournament last year.
The champion will be decided over three different courses, including the Nicklaus Tournament (par 72, 7,159 yards), with the first three rounds and the final day again at PGA West Stadium. Rahm is a player to watch. He warmed up with a 2nd place finish at the 2022 season opener, the Sentry Tournament, which ended on the 10th. Defending champion Kim Si-woo (27) is tied for 40th at 4 under par. For Korea, Noh Seung-yul (32) is tied for 40th, Im Sung-jae (24) is tied for 52nd at 3 under par, and Kang Sung-hoon (35) is tied for 96th at 1 under par.
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