Rookie Kim Seong-hyun "Did you see the 4-under?"... McIlroy 1-under

Kim Seong-hyun Tied 5th in Round 1 of RBC Canada Open
Four Including 'Home Course' Corner Tied for Lead at 5 Under
McIlroy and Noh Seung-yeol Tied 37th, Kang Seong-hoon 84th

Kim Seong-hyun shows rookie power.

On the 8th (local time), Kim Seong-hyun posted a 4-under-par in the first round of the PGA Tour RBC Canadian Open (total prize money $9 million) held at Oakdale Golf Club (par 77, 7,264 yards) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, placing him in a tie for 5th. Cory Connors (Canada), Justin Suh, Chesson Hadley (both USA), and Aaron Rai (England) share the lead at 5-under-par 67.

Kim Sung-hyun is making a bunker shot on the 8th hole during the first round of the RBC Canadian Open. [Toronto (Canada) = AP·Yonhap News]

Starting at the 10th hole (par 4), Kim Seong-hyun collected five birdies and one bogey. He made his first birdie at the 12th hole (par 5) and added 'stepping stone birdies' at the 16th and 18th holes, reducing three strokes in the front nine. In the back nine, he energized himself with birdies at the 2nd hole (par 4) and 7th hole (par 5), but made a bogey at the 8th hole (par 4) after his second shot landed in a bunker.

Kim Seong-hyun relied on his long drives averaging 304.5 yards. He is just one stroke behind the co-leaders, in a position to expect his first career victory. This season, Kim has played in 24 tournaments and advanced to the final round 17 times. His personal best is a tie for 4th at last October’s Shriners Children’s Open. He ranks 85th in the money list with $1,391,146.

Home course player Connors showed flawless play with five birdies and no bogeys. He earned his second PGA Tour win at the Valero Texas Open last April. Leading by one stroke as a co-leader, he is hoping to become the first Canadian winner of this tournament in 69 years since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

World No. 3 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), aiming for a third consecutive win, started tied for 37th at 1-under-par 71. From Korea, Noh Seung-yeol made four birdies and three bogeys, tying for 37th. On the other hand, Kang Sung-hoon tied for 84th at 1-over-par 73, and Bae Sang-moon tied for 120th at 3-over-par 75. Michael Block (USA), a 'lesson pro' who performed well with a tie for 15th at last month’s major PGA Championship, played as an invitee but struggled, finishing tied for 143rd out of 156 players at 5-over-par 77.