Sony Open Day 2 3-Under Par Victory Battle
Kirk Leads, Choi Kyung-ju and Kim Ju-hyung 'Cut Off'
Kim Seong-hyun is teeing off on the 11th hole on the second day of the Sony Open. Hawaii=AP·Yonhap News Photo
Rookie Kim Seong-hyun is sailing smoothly.
On the 13th (local time), Kim Seong-hyun played 20 holes on the second day of the Sony Open (total prize money $7.9 million) of the 2022/2023 PGA Tour season held at Waialae Country Club (par 70, 7,044 yards) in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, and reduced 3 strokes to tie for 6th place (8 under par 132). Chris Kirk leads (11 under par 129), with Taylor Montgomery and J.J. Spaun (both from the USA) tied for 2nd place (10 under par 130).
Kim Seong-hyun finished the 2 holes left unfinished due to sunset the previous day with pars, then recorded 5 birdies and 2 bogeys in the second round. After a birdie on the first hole, the 10th (par 4), and a bogey on the 11th hole (par 3), he made consecutive birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to reduce 2 strokes in the front nine. In the back nine, he recovered from a bogey on the 2nd hole with a birdie on the 3rd hole (both par 4), and added another birdie on the final 9th hole (par 5). He relied on his long drives averaging 304.9 yards and a sharp iron shot accuracy with a green hit rate of 83.33%.
Kim Seong-hyun is chasing the leader by 3 strokes. After participating in 9 tournaments this season, he is in a position to aim for his first career victory. Kim said, "My condition was not good today, but I am satisfied that I was able to finish the remaining holes of the first round well and complete the second round successfully." He added, "I played many safe shots and saved par without mistakes even in bunker trouble, which was effective." He also expressed gratitude, saying, "This week, Pro Choi Kyung-ju gave me advice during a 9-hole practice round, which was very helpful."
From Korea, Kim Si-woo reduced 3 strokes to rise to a tie for 16th place (6 under par 134), and An Byeong-hun surged with 5 under par to jump to a tie for 23rd place (5 under par 135). Lee Kyeong-hoon also added 3 under par to advance to the third round tied for 33rd place (4 under par 136). On the other hand, Choi Kyung-ju struggled with 3 over par, finishing tied for 77th place (1 under par 139), failing to advance to the final round. Kim Joo-hyung tied for 97th place (1 over par 141) and Im Sung-jae tied for 110th place (2 over par 142) were cut off. Last year's runner-up Russell Henley is tied for 33rd place, and defending champion Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) is tied for 46th place (3 under par 137).
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
