Six Birdies Spark Excitement in GS Caltex Maekyung Open 1st Round
Aiming to Become First Amateur Champion in 23 Years
"My Role Model Is McIlroy; I Admired His Success"
An Seonghyun, a first-year student at Shinsung High School born in 2009, showcased the power of a national representative.
On May 1, at Nam Seoul Country Club (par 71, 6,747 yards) in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, during the first round of the 44th GS Caltex Maekyung Open (total prize money: 1.3 billion KRW), he shot a 5-under-par 66 in heavy rain and harsh weather conditions, joining the race for the title. He made six birdies and one bogey. Starting from the 10th hole (par 4), he cruised with consecutive birdies on the 11th and 12th holes, and another birdie on the 14th hole (par 5), before taking a brief pause with a bogey on the 15th hole (par 4). He regained momentum with a birdie on the 17th hole (par 3), and in the second half, he shaved off two more strokes with birdies on the 1st and 5th holes (both par 4).
National representative An Seonghyun is playing at the 12th hole in the first round of the 44th GS Caltex Maekyung Open. Photo by KGA
An Seonghyun is a promising prospect expected to lead the future of Korean men's golf. In July last year, he claimed victory at the Junior The Open Championship held at Barassie Links in Troon, Scotland. He is the first Korean player to win this tournament. If he wins this event, he will become the first amateur champion at the tournament in 23 years, following Lee Seungyong in 2002.
In an interview immediately after the first round, An Seonghyun said, "This is my third time participating this year, and I always feel nervous whenever I play. Today was no different. I just tried to do my best, and I achieved a good result." He added, "My tee shots and iron shots were good in the early holes, but my shots became shaky in the latter half. Still, I was able to make up for it with my short game and putting. I think practicing my short game really paid off."
An Seonghyun said, "Recently, watching Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) achieve a Grand Slam made me want to become a player like him. I admired how he kept trying until the end and succeeded, even after failing." He continued, "My first goal in this tournament is to make the cut. If I advance to the final rounds, I want to do my best and achieve a good result."
This tournament is co-hosted by the Korea Golf Association (KGA) and the Asian Tour. This year, 144 players are competing, including the top 65 from the Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Tour, the top 50 from the Asian Tour, and 10 qualifiers.
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