Kim Seong-hyun's Fresh Start "5 Under Par, Tied 12th at 3 Shots Back"

Rider Farmers Insurance Open 1R Leader
Im Sung-jae and An Byeong-hun Tied 19th, Rahm 116th

Rookie Kim Seong-hyun (photo) has made a fresh start.

On the 25th (local time), Kim Seong-hyun scored 5 under par on the first day of the PGA Tour 2022/2023 season Farmers Insurance Open (total prize money $8.7 million) held at Torrey Pines North Course (par 72, 7,258 yards) in San Diego, California, USA, placing him in a tie for 12th.

This tournament is played over two rounds on the Torrey Pines South Course (par 72, 7,765 yards) and North Course, with the 3rd and 4th rounds played on the South Course.

Kim Seong-hyun recorded seven birdies and two bogeys. Although he started shakily with consecutive bogeys on holes 3 and 4, he turned the momentum around by making birdies on holes 5, 7, and 9. In the back nine, he added two pairs of consecutive birdies on holes 11-12 and 16-17, joining the race for the championship. He was powered by an average of 1.538 putts per hole.

Kim Seong-hyun is three strokes behind the leader, in a position to hope for his first career victory. This season marks his PGA Tour debut, and he has finished in the top 10 once in 10 tournaments.

Sam Ryder, Brent Grant (both USA), and Aaron Rai (England) shot 8 under par on the North Course, dominating the top of the leaderboard. Defending champion Luke List and Collin Morikawa are tied for 12th, while last year’s runner-up Will Zalatoris and Justin Thomas (both USA) are tied for 19th (4 under par, 68 strokes).

On the other hand, world No. 6 Xander Schauffele (USA) is tied for 92nd (even par, 72 strokes), and world No. 3 Jon Rahm (Spain), who is aiming for a third consecutive win, struggled at tied 116th (1 over par, 73 strokes).

From Korea, newlywed Im Sung-jae made six birdies and two bogeys on the South Course, tied for 19th along with An Byeong-hun. Sony Open winner Kim Si-woo is tied for 33rd (3 under par, 69 strokes), and Noh Seung-yul is tied for 50th (2 under par, 70 strokes), looking to climb into the upper ranks.