Three “scary middle schoolers” – Ahn Sung-hyun (Bibong Middle 2), Lim Tae-young (Suwon Middle 3) and Yoo Min-hyuk (Dongshin Middle 3) – shared the lead on the first day of the 69th Korea Amateur Golf Championship (organized by the Korea Golf Association and Samyang International), the most prestigious amateur golf tournament in the country.
Ahn Ahn-hyun, who became the youngest member of the Korean national golf team last year at the age of 13, got off to a fast start with a 5-under-par 66 with six birdies and one bogey in the first round of the tournament at Namseoul Golf Course (Par 71) in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, on Friday. “I paid a lot of attention to the tee shot because it’s an important course,” said Ahn, who has a 300-meter long jump. “I focused on each shot without letting my guard down, and the results were good.” Ahn will attempt to win the Korea Golf Association (KGA) event for the second consecutive week following the Kakao VX Mae Kyung Amateur Golf Championship on April 1.
Lim Tae-young won the Gochang Goindolbae Amateur Golf Championship in April, while Yoo Min-hyuk finished third in the boys’ under-16 division at the Blue One Bae Korea Junior Golf Championship in July. Still, it’s unusual for three middle schoolers to share the first-day lead in a tournament dominated by college and high school national teams. Even if Ahn Ahn-hyun, the youngest of the three, wins, he will still be five days shy of the record for the youngest player to win the event, set by Noh Seung-yeol (32), who was then a junior in 2005.
Chun Hyo-seop (Daejeon Bangtonggo 2), Chau Jin Chow (Hansae University 2) and Lee Jae-won (Ho Won Bangtonggo 3) are tied for fourth (4-under 67), one stroke behind the leader.먹튀검증
Established in 1954, the Korean Amateur Championship is the longest-running professional and amateur tournament in Korea. It has been held under the name “Heo Jeong-gubae” since 2003 in honor of the late Heo Jeong-koo, who led the Korea Golf Association and the Korea Professional Golf Association.