'100 Billion Won Money War' Kim Si-woo Co-Leader... "Did You See the Shot Eagle?" (Summary)

FedEx Cup Round 1 St. Jude Championship Day 1: Spon Tied for Lead
Eagle on 168-Yard Shot at 18th Hole
Korean Players: Lee Kyoung-hoon Tied 4th, Kim Joo-hyung Tied 18th, Im Sung-jae Tied 77th

Kim Si-woo is taking his second shot on the 2nd hole on the first day of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Memphis (USA) = Getty Images / Multivitz Photo by Getty Images

[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 properly compete due to the age restriction (18 years old) and had to go back down 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 winning streak. In August 2016, he earned his first career victory at the Wyndham Championship, and in May 2017, he won The Players Championship, known as the 'fifth major,' instantly rising to world stardom. In January last year, he secured his third career win at the American Express. However, since then, he has delivered below-expectation results 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' finish. He also experienced a slump with three consecutive missed cuts starting from the US Open in June.

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, USA, during the first round of the PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs (PO), the FedEx St. Jude Championship (total prize money $15 million), he shot 8-under-par to dominate the top of the leaderboard.

Kim Si-woo collected 1 eagle and 7 birdies (1 bogey). He was quiet in the front nine 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 the 13th to 16th holes.

The shot eagle on the final 18th hole (par 4) was the highlight of the day. His second shot from 168 yards away rolled into the hole. He relied on accuracy with a fairway hit rate of 92.68% and a greens in regulation rate of 83.33%. He is tied for the lead by 1 stroke with J.J. Spaun (USA).

Lee Kyung-hoon (31) recorded 7 birdies and 1 bogey to tie for 4th place (6-under-par 64). Defending champion Tony Finau (USA) is also in this group, eyeing a second consecutive win. Wyndham Championship winner Kim Joo-hyung (20) is tied for 18th at 4-under-par. Jon Rahm (Spain) and Justin Thomas (USA) are tied for 30th at 3-under-par, Im Sung-jae (24) and Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) are tied for 77th at even par, and world number 1 Scottie Scheffler (USA) finished tied for 86th at 1-over-par.