6-under-par in the first round of the Baeksong Holdings-Asiad CC Busan Open
Suffered from burnout and back pain since mid-last year
Medical leave from the Asian Tour, focusing on the process over results
Kim Bio revealed that he experienced symptoms of burnout (exhaustion) last year.
On June 5 at the Asiad Country Club in Busan (par 71, 7,104 yards), Kim Bio shot a 6-under-par 65 in the first round of the Baeksong Holdings-Asiad CC Busan Open on the Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Tour, which has a total prize fund of 1 billion won, and gave an official interview after his round. He said, "I think I started experiencing burnout around the middle of last year. Looking back, the main cause was that I put too much pressure on myself." He added, "From the second half of last year, I suffered from severe back pain, so I took medical leave from the Asian Tour and was unable to play properly on the KPGA Tour as well."
Kim Bio is teeing off at the 4th hole of the first round of the Baeksong Holdings-Asiad CC Busan Open. Photo by KPGA
Kim Bio said, "While taking a break from golf, I traveled with my family and realized that I want to enjoy playing golf. This year, I want to have fun on the course and provide the best possible fan service to the fans who come to watch me." Regarding his goals for this season, he explained, "My top priority is to fully overcome burnout."
Kim Bio claimed his first victory at the Johnnie Walker Open as a rookie in 2010, and has won a total of nine times, including the LX Championship in 2023. He has captured all the major individual titles such as Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year, and Money Leader, and is on the verge of becoming the sixth player on the KPGA Tour to surpass 3 billion won in career earnings. However, last year he finished 69th on the money list, which was his poorest season among those in which he played more than 10 tournaments on the KPGA Tour.
Kim Bio showed a flawless performance in the first round of this tournament. His green-in-regulation rate reached 66.9%, and his play on the greens was also impressive. He said, "There were several situations where I could have lost strokes. I made some mistakes, but I was able to finish well," and added, "The flow wasn't always great, but I hit a lot of good shots on the back nine, which allowed me to finish at the top."
Recently, changing his putter has helped him. Kim Bio said, "It's only the first day, but I'm satisfied to have finished in a good position. Starting this year, after every tournament I play, I write a review note about that event," adding, "Today, I also plan to go to the practice range to review the parts that didn't go well or that I was dissatisfied with, and prepare for the second round."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
