ID :
211558
Thu, 10/06/2011 - 13:27
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/211558
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Yang, Fowler share first round lead at Korea Open golf
CHEONAN, South Korea, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- Defending champion Yang Yong-eun and the 2010 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Rickie Fowler shared the first round lead in the 54th Korea Open golf tournament that opened here Thursday.
At the par-71 Woojeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, about 90 kilometers south of Seoul, Yang and Fowler each fired a four-under 67. Yang started his day with two straight birdies and had four more the rest of the day, negated by two bogeys. Fowler also scored six birdies against two bogeys.
Rory McIlroy, this year's U.S. Open champion, was one shot behind the leaders at 68. Yang and McIlroy will play together for the first two rounds as part of the marquee group.
Woojeong Hills has hosted the past three Korea Opens and Yang has won two of them, including last year, when he erased a 10-shot deficit in the final round.
Yang said he expects to keep up the momentum and go even lower than last year.
"Last year, I struggled in the opening round," he said. Yang had shot a 74 in last year's first round before coming back to win at four-under total. "But I had a better start this year. I expect the winning score to be around 12 to 13 under par."
McIlroy committed a bogey on 10th and then a double bogey on 11th, before picking up four birdies over his next six holes. He said he was fortunate to erase those hiccups and he was able to negotiate the wind to shoot under par.
Among the other players, Hong Soon-sang, second on the Korean Tour money list, shot a 68. Noh Seung-yul, who blew that 10-shot lead against Yang a year ago, started with a 72. Danny Lee, a Korean-born Australian resident and a former top amateur, carded a 74 playing in the same group with Yang and McIlroy.
At the par-71 Woojeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, about 90 kilometers south of Seoul, Yang and Fowler each fired a four-under 67. Yang started his day with two straight birdies and had four more the rest of the day, negated by two bogeys. Fowler also scored six birdies against two bogeys.
Rory McIlroy, this year's U.S. Open champion, was one shot behind the leaders at 68. Yang and McIlroy will play together for the first two rounds as part of the marquee group.
Woojeong Hills has hosted the past three Korea Opens and Yang has won two of them, including last year, when he erased a 10-shot deficit in the final round.
Yang said he expects to keep up the momentum and go even lower than last year.
"Last year, I struggled in the opening round," he said. Yang had shot a 74 in last year's first round before coming back to win at four-under total. "But I had a better start this year. I expect the winning score to be around 12 to 13 under par."
McIlroy committed a bogey on 10th and then a double bogey on 11th, before picking up four birdies over his next six holes. He said he was fortunate to erase those hiccups and he was able to negotiate the wind to shoot under par.
Among the other players, Hong Soon-sang, second on the Korean Tour money list, shot a 68. Noh Seung-yul, who blew that 10-shot lead against Yang a year ago, started with a 72. Danny Lee, a Korean-born Australian resident and a former top amateur, carded a 74 playing in the same group with Yang and McIlroy.
