▲ South Korea's Kim Joo-hyung tees off on the 10th hole during the fourth round of the men's golf tournament at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at the East Course of the Kasugai Country Club in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on October 3.
Kim Joo-hyung had a smooth start in his return to the PGA Tour regular season after a two-month break.
Playing in the first round of the Vidanta World Mexico Open (par 71) held at Vidanta Vallarta in Bahia de Banderas, Nayarit, Mexico, on October 30 (KST), Kim shot a 4-under 67 with five birdies and one bogey.
Kim finished the first day tied for 22nd place, five strokes behind leader Karl Vilips of Australia, who carded a 9-under.
This marks Kim's first appearance in a regular PGA Tour stroke-play event in two months, following the Tour Championship, the final event of the playoffs, in late August.
Afterward, he endured a grueling schedule by competing in the Presidents Cup in September and winning a gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in early October.
Heading to Mexico after taking a little under a month of rest, Kim missed the green five times but showcased strong crisis-management skills by saving par on four of them.
Whenever he reached the green, he capitalized on birdie chances to lower his score.
Gaining momentum with three consecutive birdies from holes 2 to 4, Kim's only mistake came on the 7th hole (par 3), where he missed the green and recorded a bogey.
On the 10th hole (par 4) and 11th hole (par 4), he landed his second shots on the green and sank putts for birdies.
Wyndham Clark (United States, ranked 5th), who holds the highest world ranking among the players in this tournament, finished at 2-under and tied for 54th.
John Daly II, the son of famed long-hitter John Daly (United States), competed as a sponsor's exemption and finished the first round at 1-under, tied for 68th.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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