Si-Woo Kim looks at the ball following hitting the second shot on the 18th hole on the first day of the St. Jude Championship in the first round of the FedEx Cup playoffs on the PGA Tour on the 12th. [EPA = 연합뉴스]Stimulated by the activity of the youngest, Kim Joo-hyeong (20), the older brothers flew. Kim Si-woo (27) and Lee Kyung-hoon (31) had a birdie show and put the first button of the St. Jude Championship (total prize money of 15 million dollars) well in the first round of the FedEx Cup playoffs on the PGA Tour.
The first round of the tournament was held at TPC Southwind (par 70) near Memphis, Tennessee, USA on the 12th (Korean time). After blocking only one bogey and catching one eagle and seven birdies, Si-Woo Kim recorded an 8-under 62 and put his name in the joint lead. Kyung-Hoon Lee, who reduced 6 strokes by combining 7 birdies and 1 bogey, was tied for fourth place.
Korean players have been active on the PGA Tour this season. Im Seong-jae placed his name in the top 10 eight times, including one win, and ranked 10th in the FedEx Cup rankings, while Lee Kyung-hoon and Kim Si-woo were 40th and 48th, respectively. Kim Joo-hyung has been receiving the most attention lately. Kim Joo-hyung, who obtained a spot on the PGA Tour next season as a special temporary member, tasted the thrill of his first win at the Wyndham Championship last week as the final game of the regular season.
Following Kim Joo-hyung’s victory last week, the Korean players have once once more laid a foothold to climb to the top. It was Kim Si-woo who was at the vanguard. Si-woo Kim, who drove an 8-under par, started the first leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs pleasantly. The driving force behind Kim Si-woo’s ability to cut 8 strokes on this day was his sophisticated shot. Si-woo Kim boasted a hot shot with a fairway landing rate of 92.86% and a green hit rate of 83.33%. On the final 18th hole, his second shot from 171 yards with an 8-iron disappeared alone and snatched a shot eagle. He struggled on the green in the first half, but recovered perfectly in the second half following catching a cross-hand grip called a reverse grip. Kim Si-woo, who caught the first birdie in the second half on the 10th hole, completed an 8-under par with four consecutive birdies from the 13th to the 16th hole.
Kim Si-woo said, “The putt was shaky in the first half, so changing the grip in the second half was effective.” “I am satisfied with the good result of 8-under on the first day. I will prepare well to continue the upward trend until the last day.”
Lee Kyung-hoon, the eldest of the Korean players who participated in this tournament, also showed a neat play. Kyung-Hoon Lee, who started this tournament in a tie for fourth place, is challenging for the second top 10 of the season in regarding three months following winning AT&T Byron Nelson in May.
[임정우 기자]
[ⓒ 매일경제 & mk.co.kr, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]