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| Korean golfer An Byeong-hun makes a tee shot from the ninth hole during the CJ Cup Tour on Jeju Island, Thursday. Yonhap |
By Kim Jeong-kyoo
An Byeong-hun dominated the 78-man field on the first day of the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges on Jeju Island, Thursday, ahead of World No. 1 Brooks Koepka.
Golf devotees enjoyed watching the big names in golf display their shot-making mettle in the only official PGA Tour event in Korea, and the expected nip-and-tuck free-for-all, enthralled those watching the even live on the first day.
An played spotlessly from tee to green, posting a bogey-free 8-under 64 to top the leaderboard as he outshone other competitors. Seemingly catering to his home fans, he made impressive shots on the hilly course and clutch putts on the undulating greens.
Ranked 48 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Oct 13, An reached the turn in a 7-way tie for the lead after hitting a bogey-free 4-under 32. Rattling off back-to-back birdies on the 11th and 12th holes, he moved into a two-way tie before birdying the 13th ― his third in a row ― to take the sole lead.
After two successive pars, An consolidated his lead, edging further away from Joaquin Niemann of Chile, with a birdie on the 16th.
He faced his first crisis on the par-3 17th when he his tee shot found the deep rough. A bogey loomed, however, a decent chip allowed him to close the hole out with a mid-range putt for a good par.
On the final hole, An unexpectedly used a 3-wood off the tee to hit his ball over the trees, but landed in the deep rough on the edge of a water trap. After escaping the coarse grass, he managed to cap the last hole with a two-putt par for an 8-under 64, a single stroke clear of the day's runner-up.
Koepka, a seven-time PGA Tour winner and defending champion hit a 3-under 69 for a 14-way tie for 15th with three Korean players ― Choi Kyung-ju, Kim Si-woo and Lee Kyoung-hoon.
On the par-5 9th, the World No. 1 hit his second shot from 274 yards with an iron, showing off his ability to hit the ball far. Also, he converted a lengthy left-to-right putt from more than 15 meters into an incredible birdie on the 16th. The 29-year-old also scored an eagle on the par-5 final hole after pulling off a great approach brought to within five feet of the hole.
Niemann, 20, who had topped the leaderboard at 5-under ahead of four close followers including An, birdied the final two holes to finish at 7-under for second place.
Jason Day, a 12-time PGA Tour winner displayed his putting mettle, hitting a bogey-free 6-under 66 for sole third place. The 31-year-old from Australia showed impressive iron shots with pinpoint accuracy.
Danny Lee, born in Incheon before emigrating to New Zealand at age 8, hit a 5-under 67, mixing seven birdies with two bogeys. The 29-year-old ended in a five-way tie for fourth place with Hwang Jung-gon.
Im Sung-jae, winner of the Arnold Palmer Award as the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for the 2018-2019 season hit a 4-under 68. The 20-year-old ended in a six-way tie for ninth with Lee Soo-min.
Phil Mickelson, 49, 44-time PGA Tour winner hit a 2-under 70 and was tied for 20th with Jordan Spieth, 26, an 11-time PGA Tour winner.
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