May 6, 2010 - Big-hitting Kim Dae-hyun and fellow Korean Kim Dae-sub both snared eagles as each shot a bogey-free 67 to share the first-round lead at the 29th GS Caltex Maekyung Open, the third leg of the OneAsia season.
Japan Tour star Kim Kyung-tae, the world’s third-highest ranked Korean golfer, was also bogey free as he carded a 68 over the mountainous 6,962-yard layout at the Namseoul Country Club on the outskirts of Seoul.
Australian Stephen Allan, a former PGA Tour regular, and Japan’s Masaya Tomida shot 69 to share fourth place with Koreans John Huh, Jung Ji-ho, Kang Ji-man, Jang Dong-kyu and veteran Kang Wook-soon. Defending champion Bae Sang-moon shot a 72.
Kim Dae-hyun, fourth on last year’s Korean Tour Order of Merit and the longest driver on the circuit, nailed 12 straight pars from hole 10 before he eagled holes four and nine, both par-fives, either side of a birdie on the par-three sixth.
On hole four, the wavy-haired 22-year-old holed a 40-foot eagle putt following a five-iron approach, while on nine he chipped in from just short of the green after using a hybrid for his second shot.
“I was a little bit lucky with the eagles, but overall I’m quite satisfied with my round today as I didn’t have any bogeys,” said the Daegu resident, who has averaged over 304 yards with his drives on this year’s Korean Tour.
“It’s not a course where you need to hit long, but a fade helps and I can do that. I feel like I’m playing quite well, so I hope to be in contention at the end of the week.”
Kim Dae-sub, second behind Bae on last year’s Korean Tour Order of Merit, snared a spectacular eagle of his own on the par-four 10th, where he holed out from 120 yards with his new 48-degree wedge.
“I only had this club fitted on Wednesday, so it was the first time I played with it and it was actually my first shot with it in a tournament,” said Kim, a five-time winner on the Korean Tour since turning pro in 2001.
“I hit the ball straight and if the weather stays like this, I’m in with a chance. I was very satisfied with my round as I didn’t make any major mistakes.”
Kim Kyung-tae, who won the Maekyung Open in 2007 on his way to winning the Korean Tour Order of Merit in his rookie season, only picked up one shot on the par-fives, on hole nine. The 23-year-old used accurate iron shots to also birdie par-fours at holes two and 15 and the par-three 17th.
“My iron shots were good today and I only missed two or three greens. I’m happy as I didn’t have any bogeys,” said Kim, who has played mainly on the Japan Tour for the past two seasons and racked up five runner-up finishes.
“It was a bit difficult on the greens to start with as there was some water on the ground, but it got better as it dried out.”
Australians Leigh McKechnie and Michael Wright each shot 70 to lie tied for 11th on two-under with the likes of Han Min-kyu, the first-round leader at last December’s Australian PGA Championship.
“It was a tough start as there was a bit of rain and the course was a bit wet, but I was pretty solid overall and only had one bogey, on the par-three 17th,” said McKechnie, who won last year’s New South Wales Open.
“I’ve been playing pretty well recently, but haven’t really been getting the results. It can be a tough course as it’s tough to judge distances on some approach shots and the greens can be hard to read.”
Chen Jian and 20-year-old James Su Dong, who topped the leaderboard in the morning after a front nine of 33, finished as the top Chinese players on one-over.
GS Caltex Maekyung Open, Namseoul CC, OneAsia
Leading First-Round Scores (par 72)
67 – Kim Dae-hyun (KOR), Kim Dae-sub (KOR)
68 – Kim Kyung-tae (KOR)
69 – Masaya Tomida (JPN), John Huh (KOR), Jung Ji-ho (KOR), Kang Wook-soon (KOR), Stephen Allan (AUS), Jang Dong-kyu (KOR), Kang Ji-man (KOR)
70 – Jung Jae-hoon (KOR), Han Min-kyu (KOR), Leigh McKechnie (AUS), Michael Wright (AUS), Kim Tae-jin (KOR)
71 – Hyun Jeong-hyup (KOR), Go Higaki (JPN), Andrew McKenzie (AUS), Kang Kyung-nam (KOR), Son Joon-eob (KOR), Chung Joon (KOR), Hong Sung-min (KOR), Gary Simpson (AUS)
Selected Scores:
72 – Bae Sang-moon (KOR)
73 – James Su Dong (CHN), Chen Jian (CHN)
About OneAsia
OneAsia is a non-profit organisation developed to maximize elite tournament opportunities in Asia-Pacific. The Founding members of OneAsia are the China Golf Association, the Korea Golf Tour, the Korea Golf Association and the PGA of Australia. The mission of OneAsia is not just to allow the region's best players to gain access to more events, but to ultimately provide them with an alternative pathway to the PGA Tour and the European Tour, thus retaining the best golfing talent in the region without compromising their development.
For more information, please contact:
Janice Lee Fang,
PR & Media Manager - OneAsia
DID: +65 6236 0362
Mobile: +65 8268 8155
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