Rookie Kim Seong-hyun Tied for 13th: "Double Bogey on 13th Hole Was Regrettable~"

Seonghyun Kim Finishes 1 Under Par on Final Day of Sanderson Farms Championship
Hughes Wins with Birdie on Second Playoff Hole, Straka Takes 2nd
Higo 3rd, Vermester 4th, Defending Champ Burns Tied 30th

Kim Sung-hyun is teeing off on the 8th hole on the final day of the Sanderson Farms Championship. Jackson, USA = Getty Images / Multibits Photo by Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Rookie Kim Seong-hyun (24) had a disappointing double bogey.

On the 2nd (local time), Kim Seong-hyun finished the final day of the Sanderson Farms Championship (total prize money $7.9 million), the second event of the 2022/2023 PGA Tour season, held at the Country Club of Jackson (par 72, 7,461 yards) in Jackson, Mississippi, USA. He reduced one stroke but dropped to a tie for 13th place (11-under 277). Two weeks ago, he finished tied for 36th at the season opener, the Fortinet Championship, failing to enter the top 10 in two consecutive tournaments.

Starting tied for 8th place, 5 strokes behind the leader, Kim Seong-hyun recorded 5 birdies, 2 bogeys, and 1 double bogey. Although he started shakily with consecutive bogeys on holes 7 and 8, he made up for all the lost strokes with "stepping stone birdies" on holes 9 and 11. However, at the 13th hole (par 3), he made a critical mistake by sending his tee shot toward the trees, resulting in a double bogey. He took consolation in adding 3 birdies on holes 15, 17, and 18.

Mackenzie Hughes (Canada) shot 3-under to tie with Sepp Straka (Austria) at 17-under 271. Hughes then secured the winning birdie on the second hole of the resumed playoff at the 18th hole (par 4). This marked his second career win, six years after his first victory at the RSM Classic in November 2016, with a winner's prize of $1,422,000 (2 billion KRW). Straka, who reduced 5 strokes, aimed for a comeback but settled for runner-up.

Garrick Higgo finished 3rd (16-under 272), and Dean Burmester (both from South Africa) performed well in 4th place (15-under 273). Mark Hubbard (USA), who was the leader the previous day, lost 2 strokes and dropped to a tie for 5th place (13-under 275). Defending champion Sam Burns (USA) added 2-under to rise to a tie for 30th place (8-under 280). The PGA Tour will hold the third event of the 2022/2023 season, the Shriners Children's Open, at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, for four days starting from the 6th.