South Korea’s Kim Seung-Hyuk recorded a rare birdie on 18 for a four-under-par 68 and a share of the lead after Thursday’s opening round of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open.
Compatriots Choi Ho-Sung and Lee Kyoung-Hoon are tied with Kim in the OneAsia tournament being played at the 6,943-yard par-72 Namseoul Country Club on the outskirts of the South’s capital.
Kim was bogey-free while Choi — winner of the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship last year — dropped a shot on the brutally tough par-four 18th after racking up five birdies.
“This course is really difficult so you have to be patient and wait for your chances,” the 27-year-old Kim said.
“I had a good day today and managed to make some putts. That is the secret at Namseoul.”
The highlight of Lee’s round was a chip-in for eagle from just off the green on the par-five fourth, but dropped shots on eight and 18 meant he couldn’t break away from the field.
Eight players finished a stroke behind the leaders — including Australians Jason Scrivener and Jason Norris — but only 34 of the 153-man field were under par.
Defending champion Ryu Hyun-Woo was one over for his round, while OneAsia’s reigning Order of Merit champion, Matthew Griffin, shot a 74.
Leading scores after round one:
(Korean unless stated otherwise)
68 – Kim Seung-Hyuk, Choi Ho-Sung, Lee Kyoung-Hoon
69 – Song Young-Han, Jang Dong-Kyu, Jason Scrivener (AUS), Hwang Jung-Gon, Park Sung-Kug, Kim Woo-Hyun, Jason Norris (AUS), Park Ju-Hyuk
70 – Suk Jong-Yul, Park Deuk-Hee, Park Il-Hwan, Lee Ki-Sang, Kim Seng-Yong, Hwang In-Choon, Li Hao-Tong (CHN), Hyun Jeong-Hyup, Zhu Wei-Yu (CHN), Kim Hyung-Sung