Kim Joo-hyung Starts With 3-Under, Shows Clear Signs of Recovery

Tied for 53rd in the First Round of the PGA Tour 3M Open
Svensson Leads at 11-Under, Stevens in Second
Gotterup in Fourth, An Byeonghun 77th, Kim Siwoo 94th

Kim Joo-hyung, currently ranked 89th in the FedEx Cup standings, is showing a clear sign of recovery.

On July 24 (local time), at TPC Twin Cities (par 71) in Blaine, Minnesota, Kim shot a 3-under-par 68 in the first round of the PGA Tour 3M Open (total prize money $8.4 million), placing him in a tie for 53rd.

Kim Juhyung is teeing off at the 11th hole in the first round of the 3M Open. Minnesota - Photo by Reuters

Adam Svensson (Canada) leads the field with an 11-under-par 60, while Sam Stevens (USA) is in a tie for second place at 9-under-par 62, trailing by two shots. Only two regular season PGA Tour events remain: the 3M Open and the Wyndham Championship. Players must accumulate ranking points to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Kim Joo-hyung carded five birdies and two bogeys. After back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 12th holes, he paused with a bogey on the par-3 13th, but then demonstrated his resilience by adding three more birdies on the 16th, 4th, and 6th holes. However, it was disappointing that his second shot on the final hole, the par-4 9th, landed in the rough, resulting in a bogey. He recorded a fairway hit rate of 78.57% and a greens-in-regulation rate of 72.22%.

Svensson delivered an impressive performance with one eagle and nine birdies. Had he managed to reduce just one more stroke, he could have achieved the coveted "59." He previously claimed a victory at the 2023 RSM Classic. His current world ranking is 234th. Genesis Scottish Open champion Chris Gotterup (USA) is tied for fourth at 8-under-par 63. Among Korean players, An Byeong-hun is tied for 77th at 2-under-par 69, Kim Si-woo is tied for 94th at 1-under-par 70, and Im Sung-jae is tied for 114th at even-par 71.