Kim Joo-hyung Tied for 15th on First Day of PGA Tour Playoffs Finale Ahead of Asian Games

Kim Joo-hyung had a solid start to the Tour Championship, the final event of the PGA Tour playoffs with a total purse of $40 million that determines the strongest player of the season.

Kim shot 3-under-par 67 with five birdies and two bogeys in the first round of the tournament held at the East Lake Golf Club (par 70) in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 28 (Korean time).

Having advanced through the first and second playoff events to reach the final field of 30 players, Kim tied for 15th place, five strokes behind sole leader Min Woo Lee (Australia, 8-under-par 62).

After stumbling with a bogey on the 1st hole (par 4) by landing his second shot in the greenside bunker, Kim easily bounced back with a birdie on the 3rd hole (par 4) by sticking his second shot 50 centimeters from the hole.

Adding two more birdies to finish his front nine, Kim dropped a shot on the 10th hole (par 4) but grabbed birdies on the 12th hole (par 4) and the 18th hole (par 5) to set the stage for the remaining rounds.

Kim Si-woo, who advanced to the Tour Championship alongside Kim Joo-hyung, finished the opening day tied for 25th after carding three birdies and two bogeys for a 1-under-par 69.

After grabbing two birdies on the front nine, Kim Si-woo gave back his gained strokes with bogeys on the 12th and 17th holes (both par 4s) on the back nine.

However, even after hitting his second shot into the greenside bunker on the 18th hole, he put the ball on the green with his third shot and successfully sank a 2.3-meter birdie putt to wrap up the first day on a positive note.

FedEx Cup points leader Scottie Scheffler (USA) carded five birdies without a bogey to finish at 5-under-par 65, tying for 5th place.

Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), widely regarded as a strong favorite alongside Scheffler, finished the first round tied for 20th at 2-under-par 68 after recording five birdies and three bogeys.

Meanwhile, J.J. Spaun (USA), who qualified for the Tour Championship as No. 22 in the FedEx Cup rankings, withdrew from the tournament due to a shoulder injury, leaving his playing partner Min Woo Lee to play alone.

Min Woo Lee, making his first appearance at the Tour Championship, said, "It was unusual without a playing partner, but I tried not to rush because we had to keep pace with the group ahead."

Lee, who replaced his driver shaft earlier in the week, added, "Even our team was hesitant, but the results in practice were good and I was able to execute the shots I imagined on the course."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.