South Korean golfer Kim Joo-hyung finished the first round of the PGA Tour 3M Open tied for 26th place.

Playing in the opening round at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota, Kim shot a 3-under-par with five birdies and two bogeys.

He sits six strokes behind solo leader Ben Kohles of the United States, who carded a 9-under-par, and two strokes away from the group tied for ninth.

Im Sung-jae, competing in the same tournament, finished even par with two birdies and two bogeys, placing him in a tie for 86th.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler carded six birdies without a single bogey to shoot a 6-under-par, moving into a tie for fifth place.

This tournament is considered a secondary event, often referred to as a B-tier tournament, as it is held immediately following The Open Championship, the final men's golf major of the season, and features a smaller total purse compared to other events.

With the exception of Scheffler, most top-ranked players in the world rankings chose not to participate.

However, with only three regular-season PGA Tour events remaining this season, the tournament carries significant importance for Kim Joo-hyung, ranked 35th in the FedEx Cup standings, and Im Sung-jae, ranked 57th.

Qualification for the FedEx Cup playoffs is limited to the top 70 players for the first leg, the FedEx St. Jude Championship in mid-August; the top 50 for the second leg, the BMW Championship; and the top 30 for the season-ending Tour Championship.

Both Kim and Im need to accumulate FedEx Cup points in the remaining events to push their rankings as high as possible.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)