Lim Seong-jae (25), who had left regrets in the previous two tournaments he participated in this year, smiled brightly on the course.
The American Express (total prize money of $8 million), the 12th official tournament of the 2022-23 season of the American Professional Golf (PGA) Tour, which kicked off in La Quinta, California, USA on the 20th (Korean time), rotates three other courses in rounds 1 to 3. After the game, a cut-off will be held with 54 holes. Afterwards, the final round will be held on the Pitt Dye Stadium course (par 72, 7,187 yards).
On the first day, Im Seong-jae teed off from the 10th hole (par 4) of the PGA West Nicklaus Tournament Course (par 72, 7,147 yards), cut out 7 birdies without a bogey, and hit 7 under par 65. He is tied for 7th place, 3 strokes behind the leader, the highest ranking among Korean players.
Lim Seong-jae, who caught the first birdie by attaching the second shot from the short rough of the first hole to the hole, cruised with birdies on holes 16 and 18 (par 4 above) that protected the fairway. In the second half, he entered the top 10 by recording “stepping bridge birdies” on holes 2 (par 4), 4 (par 5), 6 (par 4) and 8 (par 3).
Im Seong-jae, who missed the cut at the previous tournament, the Sony Open, had 55.6% (10/18) and 61.1% (11/18) in the first round, but 94.4% (17/18) on this day. In addition, the number of putts he hit on the green was 1.588, a marked improvement from last week.
Noh Seung-yeol (32), who made his first appearance in the new year in 2023, picked 5 birdies while going around the PGA West Nicklaus Tournament course. Noh Seung-yeol, who recorded a 5-under-par 67, tied for 27th with Ahn Byeong-hun (32), Danny Lee (New Zealand), and Michael Kim (USA). Ahn Byeong-hoon added 6 birdies and 1 bogey on the same course. 메이저놀이터
Kim Joo-hyung (21), who experienced the bitter taste of missing the cut at the Sony Open, played the first round at La Quinta CC, tied for 64th place (3 under par, 69 strokes) with 4 birdies and 1 bogey.
Kim Si-woo (28), the winner of this competition in 2021, recorded 2 under par 70 strokes with 3 birdies and 1 bogey at La Quinta CC that day. He was tied for 85th, eight strokes behind the lead. Rookie Kim Seong-hyeon (25), who tied 4 birdies and 2 bogeys, also tied with Kim Si-woo.
Lee Kyung-hoon (32) showed ups and downs on the stadium course. I caught 6 birdies, but recorded 2 bogeys and 2 double bogies, falling behind to a tie for 124th (even par 72). In hole 2 (par 4), he was caught in a bunker, and in hole 9 (par 4), his second shot from the fairway bunker fell into the water.