South Korea’s Song Yong-han, a two-time JGTO winner, opened his campaign at The Open promisingly with an even-par 71 to trail first round leader Daniel Brown of England by six shots.
Related: Open qualifier Daniel Brown to the fore at Royal Troon
The 33-year-old, who is making his second appearance at The Open, mixed his card with five birdies, two bogeys and a triple-bogey on the 11th hole at the Royal Troon Golf Club to be among 13 players including former world no. 1 Jordan Spieth bunched in tied-18 place.
“The gusty wind conditions and rain made play very challenging for me today. But I’m pleased with how I managed my round and I’m glad I managed to return with a 71. I hope to go under-par tomorrow and make the weekend cut,” said the 33-year-old.
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Masahiro Kawamura returned with a 72, while The Open debutant Aguri Iwasaki opened his campaign with a 74. Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama and Ryosuke Kinoshita carded matching 75s.
“This is the first time I’ve seen such strong winds and it was a really tough day in the office. Even when it rains the greens are still very hard. I made a lot of putting mistakes. But if I can improve my putting, I believe I should get a better score,” said Kinoshita.
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Meanwhile, Ryo Hisatsune and Yuto Katsuragawa posted identical 76s where the former admitted he was also blown off course by the gusty conditions.
“The wind was blowing very strong and I just couldn’t make the right club selection today. I was trying to find my rhythm in the front-nine where I made three bogeys. But it got a little better in the back-nine as I managed to a birdie on 16,” said Hisatsune.
Rikuya Hoshino, Keita Nakajima and Koh Gun-taek struggled to 79, 80 and 81 respectively.
