Moon Do-yeob started the first round of the men's golf tournament at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games tied for third place, just one stroke behind the leader.

Kim Joo-hyung and Kim Seong-hyun also jumped into the race for the gold medal, finishing tied for seventh and tied for ninth, respectively.

Moon shot a 4-under-par 66 with four birdies and no bogeys in the first round of the men's golf event held at the East Course (par 70) of the Kasugai Country Club in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 30th.

He tied for third place alongside Wang Wei-hsuan of Taiwan and Kazuki Higa of Japan (both at 5-under-par 65).

Zheng Yuanhe of China and Keita Nakajima of Japan also carded a 4-under-par 66 to join Moon in the tied-for-third group.

Moon grabbed his first birdie on the 6th hole (par 4), but failed to add more strokes afterward, finishing the front nine at 1-under.

He surged into the upper ranks by shaving off three strokes solely on the back nine.

He reeled off birdies on the 13th hole (par 5), 15th hole (par 3), and 16th hole (par 4).
 
Kim Joo-hyung, who traveled to Japan immediately after the conclusion of the recently held Presidents Cup in the United States, overcame jet lag to put up a strong performance with five birdies and two bogeys for a 3-under-par 67, starting the tournament in seventh place.
 
Kim Seong-hyun posted one eagle, three birdies, and three bogeys for a 2-under-par 68, placing tied for ninth.

A total of 65 players are competing in this year's men's golf event, and the medalists for both individual and team events will be determined by combining scores across four rounds.

Combining the scores of Moon Do-yeob and Kim Joo-hyung, who had the best records among the three South Korean participants, South Korea sits at a combined 7-under-par 133, tied for second place with China behind Japan (9-under-par 131).

The second round will begin at the same venue at 10:40 AM on October 1.

(Photo: Yonhap News)