Shriners Children's Open 1R Tied 62nd
Pendrys Leads, Poston and 9 Others Tied 2nd
Lee Kyung-hoon Tied 23rd, Kim Sung-hyun Tied 62nd Start
Defending champion Kim Joo-hyung showed strong finishing power.
On the 17th (local time), at the TPC Summerlin (par 71, 7,255 yards) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, Kim shot 2-under 69 in the first round of the PGA Tour Shriners Children's Open (total prize money $7 million), placing tied for 62nd. Due to sunset, eight players were unable to complete their rounds.
Kim Joo-hyung recorded five birdies and three bogeys. He struggled early with three bogeys in the first five holes. However, consecutive birdies on the 8th and 9th holes changed the momentum, and he continued to make birdies on the 13th, 16th, and 18th holes in the back nine, improving his position. His fairway hit rate was only 50%, as shaky tee shots made birdie hunting difficult. Kim has earned three PGA Tour wins in his career and has fond memories of winning this tournament for two consecutive years starting in 2022.
Taylor Pendrith (Canada) dominated the leaderboard with a 10-under 61. Ten players, including J.T. Poston (USA), are chasing closely at 3 strokes behind, tied for 2nd at 7-under 64. From Korea, Lee Kyung-hoon recorded one eagle, four birdies, and one bogey to stand tied for 23rd at 5-under 66. Kim Sung-hyun made four birdies and two bogeys, tying for 62nd with Kim Joo-hyung.
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