Kim Seong-hyeon 1 off 1st-round lead at PGA Tour season opener
Lee Seung-taek of Korea reacts to his birdie putt on the 10th hole during the first round of the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii, Thursday (local time). Yonhap
Kim Seong-hyeon has marked his return to the PGA Tour with a blistering first round at the season opener in Hawaii.
Kim shot a seven-under 63 to begin the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Thursday (local time). After the bogey-free round that featured seven birdies, Kim is in a four-way tie for third place, one stroke behind the two co-leaders, Nick Taylor of Canada and Kevin Roy of the United States.
Kim birdied two of his first three holes and added another at the par-5 ninth. After another birdie at the 12th, Kim closed his round with three straight birdies.
"I had a good start to the round. I ran into quite a bit of trouble but escaped each time," Kim said. "I had a mix of concerns and excitement coming into this round. I hadn't played for quite some time, and I was able to execute what I'd worked on. I will do my best over the next three days."
Kim Seong-hyeon of Korea tees off on the 17th hole during the first round of the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii, Thursday (local time). Yonhap
Kim made his PGA Tour debut in 2023 but lost his tour card in 2024. He earned his way back to the top circuit by finishing eighth in the points standings on the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour, with those ranking inside the top 20 moving up the ladder.
Kim's fellow Korn Ferry graduate, Lee Seung-taek, shot a two-under 68 in his PGA Tour debut.
Lee started his play on the nine and opened with back-to-back birdies.
However, he bogeyed the 13th, 16th and 17th to drop to one-over. After six straight pars, Lee birdied the sixth and seventh holes.
He then closed out his first PGA Tour round with a birdie on the par-5 ninth hole, where he reached the green in two and two-putted from about 36 feet.
Lee had played on the Korea PGA Tour until 2024 and finished 13th in the Korn Ferry Tour rankings last year to join Kim on the PGA Tour.
Two other Koreans teed off Thursday, and Tom Kim and Kim Si-woo, the 2023 Sony Open champion, each shot a 69.