'Comeback Mode' Kim Juhyung Shoots 4-Under Par..."Off to a Good Start Today"

Tied for 21st After Round 1 of the John Deere Classic
Momentum Continues After Third-Place Finish at the US Open
Glover and Blair Share Lead, Im Sungjae in 37th Place

Kim Juhyung is clearly in comeback mode.

On July 3 (Korean time), during the first round of the PGA Tour John Deere Classic (total prize money: 8.8 million dollars) held at TPC Deere Run (par 71) in Silvis, Illinois, USA, he recorded six birdies and two bogeys. With a 4-under-par 67, Kim Juhyung started the tournament tied for 21st place on the opening day.

Kim Juhyung cruised through the round with back-to-back birdies on holes 5 and 6, and another birdie on the par-5 10th. Although his tee shot landed in the left rough on the par-4 11th, resulting in a bogey, he bounced back with consecutive birdies on holes 13 and 14, and picked up another stroke on the par-5 17th. However, it was disappointing that he three-putted for a bogey on the final par-4 18th. On this day, Kim Juhyung reached a maximum driving distance of 367 yards and achieved a fairway accuracy rate of 78.57%.

Kim Juhyung is teeing off at the 13th hole during the first round of the John Deere Classic. Photo by Sylves, AFP Yonhap News

After a sluggish start to the year, Kim Juhyung found a turning point last month by finishing third at the 126th US Open, a major championship. In this event, he is aiming for his first victory in 2 years and 9 months since the Shriners Children's Open in October 2023.

Americans Lucas Glover and Zac Blair both fired 8-under-par 63s to top the leaderboard. Zach Johnson and Lee Hodges (both USA), along with Stephan Jaeger (Germany), are tied for third at 7-under-par 64, trailing by one shot. Davis Riley and Tyler Duncan (both USA) are among those tied for sixth at 6-under-par 65.

Among Korean players, Im Sungjae carded three birdies without a single bogey, finishing tied for 37th at 3-under-par 68. Noh Seungyul, who plays on the PGA Korn Ferry (second-tier) Tour, had two birdies but five bogeys, finishing the first round tied for 131st with a 3-over-par 74.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.