"Also, 31st Place Means Baera Sponsor" Lee Kyung-hoon, 3-Under Par on First Day of BMW Championship

PO Round 2 1R: Scheffler, Cantlay, McIlroy Tied for 12th
Last Year, FedEx Cup Ranking 31st, Missed Final
"If 31st Again, Baskin-Robbins Sponsorship Offer"

Lee Kyung-hoon is teeing off at the 3rd hole on the first day of the BMW Championship. Wilmington, USA - Photo by Getty Images/Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter Hee-jun Jang] Lee Kyoung-hoon (31) led the group of four Koreans on the first day of the second round of the PGA Tour Playoffs FedEx Cup.

On the 18th (local time), Lee Kyoung-hoon scored 3-under 68 with 4 birdies and 1 bogey in the first round of the second round of the PO, the BMW Championship (total prize money $15 million), held at Wilmington Country Club (par 71, 7,534 yards) in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. He is tied for 12th place along with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, defending champion Patrick Cantlay (both USA), and Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), known as a PO powerhouse.

Lee Kyoung-hoon made a birdie from the first hole and followed up with consecutive birdies on the 7th and 8th holes. In the back nine, he unfortunately made a bogey on the 15th hole (par 3) when his putt stopped just 60 cm from the hole, but he bounced back with a birdie on the 16th hole (par 4).

Lee Kyoung-hoon has a special determination for this tournament. To qualify for the final Tour Championship, he must raise his FedEx Cup ranking into the top 30. Last year, his ranking dropped to 31st in the final round of the BMW Championship, narrowly missing qualification. Before the round, he joked, "If I finish 31st again, I will propose a sponsorship to Baskin-Robbins," showing how desperate he is.

Im Sung-jae (24) recorded 3 birdies and 2 bogeys to tie for 34th place (1-under 70), and Kim Joo-hyung exchanged 4 birdies for 4 bogeys to tie for 42nd place (even par 71). Kim Si-woo (27) struggled significantly. He made a quintuple bogey on the 5th hole (par 4), losing 5 strokes, and added 2 birdies and 4 bogeys on other holes, finishing with 7-over 78.

Keegan Bradley (USA) surged to the solo lead (7-under 64) with 8 birdies and only 1 bogey. Adam Scott (Australia) closely followed with 6-under 65.