'Only 11 Birdies' Gokun Taek: "I Picked Up Last Year's Putter Again"

KPGA Founders Cup 1R 11 Under Par 61
New Putter in Caddie Bag, Rearmed Last Year's Weapon
"Made All but One of the Tricky Birdie Putts"

New weapons are not always better. Sometimes, the old ones can do great things.

Kogun Taek is teeing off at the 12th hole during the first round of the KPGA Founders Cup.
[Photo by KPGA]

This is the story of Go Gun-taek, last year's Korean Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Tour champion with three wins. On the 18th, at the KPGA Founders Cup (total prize money 700 million won) first round held at Hanmaek Country Club in Yecheon, Gyeongbuk (par 72, 7,265 yards), he swept up 11 birdies without a single bogey. He achieved two separate streaks of four consecutive birdies. This score of 62 beats his personal best set in the first round of the 2021 Genesis Championship. Although he did not surpass the KPGA Tour 18-hole record of 60 strokes, a score of 61 strokes is a rare feat experienced by only eight players before Go Gun-taek.

Last week, at the season opener and title defense event, the DB Insurance Promy Open, Go Gun-taek used a new putter but finished in a somewhat disappointing tie for 24th place. For this tournament, he switched back to his original putter. On this day, Go Gun-taek was on fire on the greens. He made 11 birdies out of 12 opportunities. He finished 18 holes with only 21 putts. His 11-under-par 61 is a course record at Hanmaek Country Club.

In a post-round interview, Go Gun-taek explained, "It's the same manufacturer's product, but the putter feels different," adding, "It has a softer touch, and today it just clicked." He said, "My shots were neither particularly good nor bad," but smiled broadly, saying, "It was a day when the putter really worked. Whenever I lined it up, it went in." He continued with a smile, "Except for one birdie putt from an awkward distance where it would have been nice if it went in but okay if it didn't, I made them all."

Having significantly lowered his score from the first day, Go Gun-taek said, "The course is short, but the greens are firm. The key is to land the ball well on the green with short irons and how many putts go in," and predicted, "I think you need to shoot 20 under par over four days to win." He added, "In any case, you can't afford to shoot over par," and said, "I hope to play the second round tomorrow like today, but even if I do half as well, I would be satisfied."