Player of the Year Points Leader Shin Sanghoon 4 Under Through 17 Holes... An Jimin Hits Second Hole-in-One

Lexus Masters: 4 Under Through 17 Holes on Opening Day
Play Suspended Due to Sunset; Shin in Third, to Complete Remaining Holes Tomorrow Morning
Jung Yujun Leads; Jang Yubin in Sixth, Jeong Chanmin in 17th

Shin Sanghoon, who leads the Player of the Year points standings, continued his impressive surge in the second half of the season.

Shin was 4 under par with five birdies and one bogey through the 17th hole on the opening day of the Lexus Masters, a KPGA Tour event with a total purse of 1 billion won, at the Ocean Course of Club72 Country Club in Yeongjongdo, Incheon, on Thursday. Starting in the final group, Shin hit his tee shot onto the fairway on the 18th hole (par 5), but play was suspended as the sun set.

Shin Sanghun reads the putting line on the green at the 9th hole during the first round of the Lexus Masters. Photo provided by KPGA.

Shin made a strong start, picking up four birdies on the front nine despite difficult conditions, with rain and strong winds. He added another birdie on the 15th hole (par 4), but as darkness fell, he lost a stroke with a three-putt after hitting his tee shot onto the green on the 17th hole (par 3). A win at this tournament would put Shin in a strong position to claim the Player of the Year title.

"With the rain and wind, I focused on maintaining my body temperature," Shin said. "I can't help but think about the Player of the Year title, but the weather is expected to remain poor over the remaining rounds, so I'll focus on controlling my distances and play carefully."

Jung Yujun surged to the top of the leaderboard with a 6-under-par 65. He is 111th in the Player of the Year points standings and needs a win to secure playing privileges for next season. Jang Yubin, third in the standings, was 3 under with five birdies and two bogeys, placing him tied for sixth at 3-under-par 68. Jeong Chanmin, second in the standings, was tied for 17th at 1-under-par 70.

Ahn Jimin poses in front of the electric vehicle he received as a prize after recording a hole-in-one on the ninth hole in the first round of the Lexus Masters. Photo provided by KPGA

He recorded his second hole-in-one of the season. On the 170-yard par-3 ninth hole, he hit a tee shot into the headwind and sent it straight into the hole. He had previously made a hole-in-one in the first round of the KPGA Founders Cup in May.

Ahn is the only player to have recorded two hole-in-ones this year. He received an electric vehicle worth 70 million won, provided by Lexus Korea. “I was so happy that I hugged my caddie,” Ahn said with a laugh. “I was so overwhelmed that I didn’t even get to give the gallery a gift.”

Meanwhile, An Ji-min recorded his second hole-in-one of the season. On the 170-yard par-3 ninth hole, his tee shot into a headwind went straight into the cup. He previously made a hole-in-one during the first round of the KPGA Founders Cup in May. An Ji-min is the only player to have recorded two hole-in-ones this year. He received an electric vehicle worth about 70 million won, offered by Lexus Korea, as his prize. "I was so happy that I hugged my caddie," he said with a laugh. "I was so flustered that I didn't even get to give the gallery a gift."

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