Siwoo Kim "Presidents Cup Momentum Continues..." 7-Under Par in Round 1 of Shriners Children's Open

Leading with 8-under par by 1 stroke, Kim Siwoo and McNealy tied for 2nd
Defending champion Im Sungjae, Kim Juhyung, and Kim Sunghyun tied for 4th, 2 strokes behind

Kim Si-woo is teeing off at the 15th hole on the first day of the Shriner's Children's Open. Las Vegas, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Kim Si-woo (27), ranked 79th in the world, shone brightly at last month's Presidents Cup. He joined the International team as a captain's pick and recorded 3 wins and 1 loss against the U.S. team. Although the overall score was 12.5-17.5 in favor of the U.S. team, Kim Si-woo posted the best performance among the International team players.

Kim Si-woo continued his momentum from the Presidents Cup. On the 6th (local time), at the TPC Summerlin (par 71, 7,255 yards) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, he shot a 7-under 64 on the first day of the 3rd event of the 2022-2023 PGA Tour season, the Shriners Children's Open (total prize money $8 million), placing him in a tie for 2nd. Tom Hoge (USA) leads by one stroke at 8-under 63. Some players were unable to finish their rounds due to sunset.

Starting at the 10th hole, Kim Si-woo collected 8 birdies and 1 bogey. He lost a birdie at the 11th hole to a bogey at the 12th, but changed the momentum with consecutive birdies at the 14th and 15th holes. In the back nine, he made three consecutive birdies at holes 1, 2, and 3, and back-to-back birdies at holes 6 and 7, entering the race for the championship.

Kim Si-woo relied on his long drives of up to 323 yards and an impressive iron shot accuracy of 83.33%. His putting average per hole was also outstanding at 1.533 strokes. Chasing the leader by one stroke, he is aiming for his 4th career win, his first in 1 year and 9 months since winning the American Express in January last year. Kim Si-woo said, "Playing with Kim Joo-hyung made me feel comfortable," and added, "I was satisfied with my driver, irons, and putting today."

Hoge took the top spot on the leaderboard with a perfect round featuring 2 eagles and 4 birdies. Notably, he made an eagle with a 110-yard shot on the 7th hole (par 4). Ranked 42nd in the world, he won his first career title at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last February. Maverick McNealy is tied for 2nd, while Patrick Rodgers and Keith Mitchell (both USA) share 4th place at 6-under 65.

Im Sung-jae is reading the putting line on the 4th hole on the first day of the Shriners Children's Open. Las Vegas, USA - Photo by Getty Images/Multibits

Korea's defending champion Im Sung-jae (24) reduced his score by 6 strokes, including an 'eagle-like birdie' from a fairway shot. He is only 2 strokes behind the leader. Kim Joo-hyung (20) also joined the group tied for 4th with 6 birdies. He is a 'young gun' who won the Wyndham Championship in August as a 'special member.' Rookie Kim Sung-hyun (24) also started cleanly, tied for 4th. On the other hand, An Byeong-hun (31) is tied for 55th at 2-under 69, and Lee Kyoung-hoon (31) is tied for 116th at 1-over 72.