Korean youngster Tom Kim is four shots off the lead after the opening round of the PGA Championship in Kentucky.
Kim is in a seven-way tie for fifth place after collecting six birdies against one bogey for a five-under 66 to open the second major tournament of the season at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville on Thursday (local time).
Kim made the turn at two-under, and then birdied three of the first four holes on the back nine to reach five-under.
He had a hiccup with a bogey at the par-three 14th, where he found a bunker off the tee. But Kim bounced back with a birdie at the 17th, set up by an approach that landed just about five feet from the cup.
The 21-year-old, whose Korean given name is Joo-hyung, has not yet recorded a top-10 finish in 13 tournaments so far this year.
This is Kim’s 10th major championship appearance. 스포츠 Last year, the three-time PGA Tour winner tied for second at the Open Championship and tied for eighth at the U.S. Open.
Xander Schauffele of the United States grabbed the first-round lead after tying the men’s major championship scoring record with a 62.
Three American players, Tony Finau, Sahith Theegala and Mark Hubbard, are tied for second after shooting 65s. Rory McIlroy, who won the last PGA Championship held at Valhalla in 2014, is in Kim’s group at five-under.
Kim gave himself a pat on the back for a “really, really solid” round.