Ballantine's Championship: Bae Sang-moon, Kyung-Tae Kim face trouble scoring in the first round
Bae Sang-moon and Kyung-Tae Kim faced trouble scoring in the first round of the Ballantine's Championship, on Thursday.
Both the local heroes were unable to deliver their best at the home course of the Blackstone Golf Club, Icheon in Seoul, South Korea.
Bae started the round and displayed a slow game throughout the day. He carded only three birdies, but faltered on most of the holes, recording four bogeys and one double-bogey.
The South Korean golfer scored a 3-over 75 and finished outside the top-25 players of the field. The spectators were not happy to see their favourite golf player falter on the course.
"From the very first hole things did not go well," Bae said. "I was quite worried because the winds were so strong. But I didn't want to not make it through the cut. I don't think you should give up".
The 25-year old Kim, who ranks 48th, was struggling hard in the first round and scored a 1-over 73 by making three birdies, two bogeys and one double-bogey.
He was also unable to play well on the home course. He did not compete well against other international players and finished outside the top-50.
"I'm overall satisfied with the play and my game today," he said. "Of course I made a few small mistakes and so lost some shots. I missed a few chances for birdie. But considering the very strong winds today, I'm very satisfied with the score that I have".
The weather conditions were unfavourable for most of the players, so were for both the Koreans. The winds were blowing fast, which meant that the players had to keep an eye on their putts. Moreover, the cold also affected the match to some extent.
Victor Dubuisson is currently leading the scores. He scored a 4-under 68 and is dominating the 156-player field. Such an impressive score took him to the top, as he is leading by two strokes.
He scored eight birdies, two bogeys and one double-bogey. He made long yards birdies perfectly and played well on the greens.
Kim and Bae still have many chances to reach the top of the leaderboard. They only have to be under par on most of the holes, so that they can earn some more respect in their hometown event.
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