FedEx Cup Round 1 St. Jude Championship Day 1: Spon Tied for Lead
Eagle on 168-Yard Shot at 18th Hole
Siwoo Kim (right) is being congratulated by Mackenzie Hughes after recording a shot eagle on the 18th hole of the first round at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Kim Si-woo (27) is the hope of Korean men's golf.
He started golf at the age of 6 and was called a 'golf prodigy.' In 2012, at the age of 17, he passed the PGA Tour Qualifying (Q) School, earning the honor of being the 'youngest qualifier.' However, he was unable to compete properly due to the age restriction (18 years old) and had to go back to the Korn Ferry Tour (2nd tier) where he struggled for three years. In 2013, he was unlucky as the Q School was abolished, but fortunately, he returned to the PGA Tour in 2015 by finishing 10th in the Korn Ferry Tour money rankings.
Since then, Kim Si-woo has been on a roll. In August 2016, he won his first career victory at the Wyndham Championship, and in May 2017, he captured The Players Championship, known as the '5th major,' instantly rising to world stardom. In January last year, he earned his third career win at the American Express. However, since then, he has delivered below expectations without any wins. This season, he has played in 27 tournaments, with a tie for 8th place at the Sanderson Farms Championship being his only 'top 10.' Since the US Open in June, he also experienced a slump with three consecutive missed cuts.
Ranked 62nd in the world, Kim Si-woo has fallen to 'PGA Korean No. 3' behind Im Sung-jae (24), ranked 20th, and Kim Joo-hyung (20), ranked 21st. Last week, he withdrew from the Wyndham Championship, the final event of the regular season. Kim Si-woo has now laid the groundwork for a turnaround from his worst situation.
On the 11th (local time), at Southwind TPC (par 70, 7,243 yards) near Memphis, Tennessee, in the first round of the PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs (PO), the FedEx St. Jude Championship (total prize money $15 million), he surged with an 8-under-par to dominate the top of the leaderboard.
Kim Si-woo collected 1 eagle and 7 birdies (1 bogey). In the front nine, he was quiet with 2 birdies and 1 bogey for 1-under-par, but in the back nine, he fired a birdie at the 10th hole (par 4) and a streak of 4 consecutive birdies from holes 13 to 16.
The shot eagle on the final 18th hole (par 4) was the highlight of the day. His second shot from 168 yards was holed in. He powered his performance with accuracy, hitting a fairway hit rate of 92.68% and a greens in regulation rate of 83.33%. As of 8 a.m., he is tied for the lead with J.J. Spaun (USA), two strokes ahead.
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