Pre-qualifier Jung steals the limelight
Qualifier Jung Yujun from South Korea is the surprise first-round leader at the Kolon Korea Open, after he carded a six-under-par 65 on the Dunes Course at La Vie Est Belle golf club – north-east of the capital Seoul.
Jung made it through a 36-hole pre-qualifier, at the same venue, earlier in the month and drew on that experience to set the pace today, shooting the only spotless bogey-free round of the day. It was an impressive result considering the penal set-up.
At 7,423 yards it is long and, as is the norm at this tournament, it has been configured like a US Open course with exceptionally narrow fairways and fast greens.
He made six birdies and leads by two from Thailand's Phachara Khongwatmai and Australian Jed Morgan, both in with 67s – in what is the 67th staging of Korea's flagship event and the seventh stop of the season on the Asian Tour.
Jung, aged 22, only debuted on the Korean PGA Tour two years ago but showed little sign of his inexperience at this level today.
'The course was harder than in qualifying,' he said. 'The pin placements are tricky, and the greens are fast. Plus, the teeing area has been moved back and the rough is longer.'
He started on the back nine, making birdie on his opening hole, the 10th. Birdies on 13, 17, one, five and six followed.
'Overall, I was happy with all my play. My tee shots have been shaky lately, but today both my tee shots and putting were good. The birdie putts dropped,' he added.
'The fairways are very narrow, but I was able to overcome that because I had good tee shots. I didn't have a good flow in the beginning of the round, but it got better and better. I think I'm improving little by little.'
He said he's also been working on hitting the ball further – a big advantage on this week's layout.
He explained: 'My distance has increased since last year. I am hitting it long now and can hit up to 300 metres. Round one is now over. There are still three days left. I'll try to play with the same mindset as in the first round.'
Phachara, still looking for his second win on the Asian Tour despite a plethora of second-place finishes – 10 to be exact – was delighted with his strong start.
'Surprised to shoot four under today, on a difficult course. I didn't have any expectations. Just wanted to relax, play freely and not be serious.
'I have not been playing much as I have been spending time with family, nursing a few minor injuries. I have been resting a lot but now my game is starting to gradually come. It's on the up.'
He made five birdies and dropped just one shot.
He added: 'The course is difficult. If you hit your driver well, you can make a good score. But also, if you miss your driver on the correct side, you can still score well.'
His compatriot Denwit Boriboonsub, and Korea's Minsu Kim, an amateur, Jeunghun Wang, Songgyu Yoo and Junhung Jang are tied for fourth following 68s.
A shot back are Giwhan Kim, Jinho Choi and Doyeon Hwang from Korea, plus Thailand's Sadom Kaewkanjana, Poom Saksansin and Suteepat Prateeptienchai
Defending champion Minkyu Kim had a disappointing day. The Korean, who also won in 2022, fired an 81.
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