Ahn Byeong-hun and Kang Sung-hoon tied for 47th at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am 1R… Vale Amateur 18th
Ahn Byeong-hoon (32) and Kang Sung-hoon (36) started the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (total prize money of 9 million dollars) in the middle ranks.
In the first round of the tournament held at the Monterey Peninsula Country Club (par 72) in Pebble Beach Golf Links, California on the 3rd (Korean time), Ahn Byeong-hoon took an eagle and two birdies, committed two bogeys, and hit 2 under par 70.
He tied for 47th with Kang Sung-hoon, who recorded 1 eagle, 3 birdies and 3 bogies at the Pebble Beach Golf Links. He is six strokes behind Hank Levioda (USA), who took the sole lead.
Ahn Byeong-hun made a bogey at the 1st hole (par 4) in the second half after making a long par streak after catching a birdie on the 11th hole (par 3) in the first half. He seemed to be cruising with a birdie on the 3rd hole (par 3) and an eagle on the 5th hole (par 4), but he recorded another bogey on the 6th hole (par 5) and finished the second half hole.
Kang Seong-hoon obtained the right to participate while most of the top players were resting in preparation for the next tournament, the WM Phoenix Open, a special event. After losing his seed last season after finishing 173rd in the FedEx Cup rankings, he can participate in PGA Tour events that top players do not participate in, and he must perform well in these events to have a chance of regaining his seed next season. He has played in four PGA Tour events this season, but has unfortunately never made the cut.
While Korean players such as Kim Joo-hyung (21), Lim Seong-jae (25), Kim Si-woo (28), and Lee Kyung-hoon (32) also did not participate in the tournament to participate in the Phoenix Open, Noh Seung-yeol (32) tied for 79th with an even par 72, Kim Seong-hyun ( 25) was in an urgent position to pass the cut, with a 2-over par of 73 and a tie for 117th.
In this tournament, rounds 1 to 3 are played in turn at three courses: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Course, and Monterey Peninsula Country Club, followed by a cut-off, and the winner of the final round is determined at the Pebble Beach Links course. 안전놀이터
Levioda drove 9 birdies and committed 1 bogey at the Monterey Peninsula Country Club (par 71) to take the sole lead with 8 under par 63 strokes. It is the lowest score in his personal career.
Kurt Kitayama (USA), Chad Raimi (USA), and Harry Hall (England) tied for second place with a 7-under par. Top ranking players Jordan Spieth (USA) and Matthew Fitzpatrick (England) tied for 61st with a 1-under-par 71.
Meanwhile, this tournament is a pro-am competition in which professionals and amateurs play as a pair, and recently retired soccer star Gareth Bale (Wales) participated among 156 amateurs, drawing a lot of attention. He played with PGA Tour pro Joseph Bramlett (USA) and tied for 18th with a 7 under par 65 strokes.
Bale said, “I’m used to playing on a soccer field watched live by more than 80,000 people, but golf was completely different. I was really nervous on the first hole.” With a handicap of 2, he showed off his golf skills comparable to that of a pro by grabbing a wedge on the cart road and attempting a smooth bump and run.