Golfer Bae Yong-jun has taken the early lead in the first round of the newly established KPGA Tour Amazing Cre Open.

Playing at Flamingo Country Club in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, Bae carded a 6-under-par 64 with seven birdies and one bogey, putting him at the top of the leaderboard by a single stroke over Jang Dong-gyu, Choi Seung-bin, and Jung Tae-yang.

Starting his round on the 10th hole, Bae picked up his first birdie on the par-4 11th by landing his second shot 1.8 meters from the hole, followed by consecutive birdies on the 13th and 14th holes to maintain a smooth momentum.

He added another birdie on the 16th hole, shaving off four strokes on the front nine alone.

His precise shots remained outstanding on the back nine as well.

He displayed delicate shot-making by placing his third shot 3.5 meters from the pin on the par-5 2nd hole and hitting his second shot to within 1.1 meters on the par-4 3rd hole.

He also successfully reached the green in two on the par-4 6th hole with a precise shot before sinking the birdie putt.

However, the only blemish on his day was a bogey on the 8th hole after a three-putt.

Bae, who previously secured two victories in modified Stableford format events on the KPGA Tour—including the KPGA Classic last year—has finished in the top 10 twice this season.

Although this tournament features a smaller total purse and winner's prize (140 million won) compared to other events, the champion will be awarded 1,000 Genesis points.

Genesis points leader Jang Yu-bin and second-place Shin Sang-hun both started the tournament tied for 22nd place at 2-under-par 68.

Song Min-hyuk, who sits third in points, finished at 4-under-par 66 to tie for fifth place alongside Kim Yong-tae, Lim Chae-wook, and Kim Hong-taek.

(Photo provided by KPGA Tour, Yonhap News)