Unnamed Jung Yu-jun hitting 300m... The Korean Open's leading wind
Unnamed Jung Yu-jun hitting 300m... The Korean Open's leading wind
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Unknown Jung Yoo-joon, who earned the right to participate after qualifying, took a surprise lead on the first day of the 67th Korean Open (total prize money of 1.4 billion won), the national title.메이저사이트
At the first day of the competition held at Rabiebel Dunes Course (par 71/7426 yards) in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province on Sunday, Jang had six birdies without bogey to take the lead at 6-under 65. He is two shots behind Pacharat Khongwatmai of Thailand and Jed Morgan of Australia, who tied for second with 4-under 67.
Starting from the 10th hole (par 4), Jung had birdie from the first hole based on his long-range power that flew well over 300 yards, and added birdies at the 13th and 17th holes to cut down three pars in the first half. Jung also birdied the first hole of the second half, and added birdies in consecutive holes at the 5th and 6th holes.
"The fairway is very narrow. But I was able to overcome it because I had a good tee shot," Jung said after the match. "The rough was no longer than the Friendship Hills Country Club. Overall, all the plays were satisfactory. My tee shot was shaky recently, but both my tee shot and putting were good today. In particular, my birdie putt fell well."
Jeong Yu-jun, who is in his third year of the tour, is an unknown who has never been in the top 10 yet, let alone won the championship. The best performance is tied for 14th at the 2023 Bizplay e-newspaper opening and this season's KPGA Classic, which was the rookie season.
Jung Yu-joon is one of the best hitters in the KPGA tour. He has recorded an average driving distance of 308.95 yards on average this season, ranking third in the slugging category. If he drives as much as he wants, he can send him over 330 yards. "I hit with Jang at the Gunsan CC Open last year, and he did not lag behind me in distance," Jung said.
Jung Yu-joon finished 32nd out of 38 players who passed the preliminary round, but as he took the lead on the first day, his every move drew attention. How he overcomes media and fans' attention and maintains composure will determine his performance in the rest of the round.
Seeming conscious of this, Jung Yu-jun said, "The first round is over now. There are still three days left," adding, "I will play the rest of the round with the same mindset as today." For your information, there has been no case in which a player who advanced to the finals after a preliminary round has won the Kolon Korean Open, which introduced the preliminary round since 2006.
The Dunes course, the competition course, narrowed the width of the fairway to 15-20m, and the rough length was 3.5cm for the A-cut and the deep pescue rough was more than 5cm. The rough is not very long, but the players say that it was difficult to adjust the distance due to pliers. Green Speed cuts grass twice a day and rolls once a day to maintain the 3.8 meter Steamp Meter. In order to win the prize money of 500 million won (approximately 50 million U.S. dollars), a tee shot should be placed on the fairway, and accurate putting should enable the birdie to take advantage of the opportunity.
Kongwatmai, who won the 2021 Asian Tour Laguna Phuket Championship, started second place alone by reducing four strokes with five birdies and one bogey. Kongwatmai lost to Go Won-taek after extra time at the 2023 Shinhan Donghae Open and finished second.
Korean national team member Kim Min-soo (2nd year at Howon Bangtong High School) tied for fourth with Wang Jeong-hoon, Jang Joon-hyung, Yoo Song-kyu and David Bori Bun-seop (Thailand) at 3-under 68 with four birdies and one bogey. With a solid physique measuring 182 centimeters and 88 kilograms, Kim Min-soo is No. 1 in the amateur rankings and has won three games this year: Heo Jung-gu-bae, Korean Ama, Choi Deung-gyu-bae, Maegyeong Ama, and Bitgoeul Jungheungbae Ama.
Kim Min-soo said, "I think the results came out well because the wind wasn't blowing. "I practiced tee shots a lot because the fairway was narrow," he said. "I participated with the mindset of just passing the preliminary round, but I think I can be a little more greedy. I want to become a player who surpasses Rory McIlroy someday."
Veteran Choi Jin-ho tied for ninth with Kim Ki-hwan, Hwang Do-yeon, and Pum Saxak-shin of Thailand at 2-under 69. However, last year's winner Kim Min-gyu, who was defending the title, tied for 137th with a 10-over-par 81st, putting him on the verge of failing to make the cut. Kim garnered two birdies, but committed eight bogeys and one quadruple bogey.