Jang Yu-bin has made a strong start in pursuit of his third win of the season on the Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Tour.

Playing in the first round of the 42nd Shinhan Donghae Open at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon today, Jang shot 4-under-par, recording eight birdies despite one double bogey and two bogeys.

He finished the opening day in a tie for fourth place, one stroke behind Japan's Aguri Iwasaki, Taichiro Ideriha, and Yujiro Ohori, who are tied at 5-under-par.

Jang, who secured back-to-back victories at the KPGA Classic and the Hana Bank Invitationals last June, has laid the groundwork for his third title of the season.

Starting from the 10th hole, Jang gained momentum by making four birdies through the 17th hole, but finished the front nine with a double bogey after hitting his tee shot into the water on the 18th hole (par 5).

Jang said, "Right before my tee shot on the 18th hole, a strong headwind was blowing, and even though I factored that in, a mistake still happened."

On the back nine, Jang added four more birdies—including three straight on holes 1 to 3—though he regretted dropping a stroke each on the 5th hole (par 3) and the 9th hole (par 4).

Jang said, "Because there were many mistakes, I have some regrets, but I have a feeling that I will be able to play better tomorrow than today."

Veteran Park Sang-hyun, who has 16 career wins on the KPGA Tour, also finished at 4-under-par, tying for fourth place alongside Jang Yu-bin, Park Eun-shin, Jeong Han-mil, Jeon Jae-han, and Oh Seung-taek.

Co-sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), the tournament awards the champion a five-year exemption on the KPGA Tour and a two-year exemption on the JGTO.

The tournament, which features a total purse of 1.5 billion won and a winner's prize of 300 million won, runs through this Sunday (September 13).

(Photo provided by KPGA, Yonhap News)