Lee Kyung-hoon, Joint 103rd Start in the 'Niche Market'

Top Players Absent as Mexico Open 1st Round Sees 1-Over Par
Hall, Paul, and Two Others Lead at 7-Under Par
Bhatia in 9th; Rai, Knapp, and Rodgers Tied for 18th

Lee Kyoung-hoon's sluggish start.

Lee Kyung-hoon

On the 20th (local time), at Vidanta World in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (par 71, 7,436 yards), Lee Kyoung-hoon recorded 5 birdies, 4 bogeys, and 1 double bogey in the first round of the PGA Tour Mexico Open (total prize money $7 million). He is tied for 103rd place (1-over par 72). The Mexico Open is a tournament where top players often take a break. Players who competed fiercely last week at the Genesis Invitational, a signature event with a $20 million purse, did not participate in this tournament held in distant Mexico.

Lee struggled, losing one stroke over 10 holes. However, he gained momentum with consecutive birdies on holes 11 and 12, followed by another birdie on the 14th hole (par 5). Unfortunately, his finish was disappointing. After a bogey on the 17th hole (par 3), his tee shot on the final 18th hole (par 5) veered right into the woods. After taking a one-stroke penalty, he hit the tee shot again but ended up with a double bogey. His fairway hit rate was only 53.85%, making it difficult to create birdie opportunities.

Harry Hall (England), Jeremy Paul (Germany), and one other player share the lead at the top of the leaderboard with 7-under par 64. Brian Campbell (USA) and others are chasing in a tie for 4th place at 6-under par 65. Axay Bhatia (USA) is tied for 9th at 5-under par 66, while Aaron Rai (England), Patrick Rodgers (USA), who tied for 3rd last week at the Genesis Invitational, and defending champion Jake Knapp (all USA) are tied for 18th at 4-under par 67. Kim Chan and Michael Kim (both USA) are tied for 31st at 3-under par 68.