Golfing: Kang usually takes direct into weekend in LPGA Tour opener | Sports

Im, the tour’s rookie of the 12 months in 2019, experienced seven birdies in a bogey-absolutely free spherical on the Stadium Program at PGA West, highlighted by 3 in four holes all over the turn. Immediately after battling with his putter in recent months, he banged in a 22-footer and an 18-footer for consecutive birdies late in his spherical.

“Visually from the tee box, it is a system that I truly like and enjoy to engage in, so I felt truly relaxed through the round,” Im explained. “The two courses that we’re actively playing this 7 days, I like those courses, and that is what led me to a very good score.”

Hagy was in placement to be part of Im at 11 below, but he bogeyed his final gap with a tee shot into the fairway bunker to finish his 70.

Canada’s Nick Taylor (66), South Korea’s Si Woo Kim (68), Tony Finau (66) and Mexico’s Abraham Ancer (65) also were being 10 underneath. Emiliano Grillo (66), Francesco Molinari (66) and Doug Ghim (68) ended up two shots off the direct, and 8 far more had been at 8 below.

Event host Phil Mickelson skipped the minimize, but built 18 pars Friday for the first time in his 2,201 rounds of PGA Tour perform.

With his drives on the lookout sharp and his mid-selection putts dropping often, Im is off to an additional sturdy begin at a match in which he has presently completed 10th and 12th in his short Tour vocation.

“I’m quite satisfied with how I played all of my pictures,” Im reported. “Speaking of putting, I begun drawing a line on the ball as I visualize my putts, and that seemed to get the job done quite properly today.”