Kim Makes Confident Start at The Open as English Leads Tight Field
South Korean star finds form early at Royal Portrush while five share lead in season’s final major
Las Vegas - Tom Kim made a promising start to the 153rd Open Championship on Thursday, carding a two-under-par 69 at Royal Portrush as he seeks to put a disappointing season behind him.
The 22-year-old from South Korea, who won three times on the PGA Tour in 2022 and 2023, has struggled in 2024 with only one top-10 finish and a FedExCup ranking of 88. But after a confidence-boosting tied-17th at last week’s Genesis Scottish Open, Kim found his accuracy again and rolled in six birdies despite four bogeys to finish the day tied for 10th, just two shots behind the leaders.
“It was nice to see some of the old game coming back,” Kim said afterwards. “I still left some out there with those bogeys, but overall it’s a solid start.”
At the top of the board, five players — Harris English of the United States, Matt Fitzpatrick of England, Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa, Nicolai Højgaard of Denmark, and Li Haotong of China — all signed for four-under-par 67s to share the lead. English’s preparation had been thrown into chaos when his regular caddie was denied a visa due to a decades-old conviction, forcing him to hire LIV golfer Abraham Ancer’s caddie at short notice.
World number one Scottie Scheffler continued his remarkable consistency with a 68 to sit one back in joint-sixth, while Rory McIlroy, chasing an Open title on home soil in Northern Ireland, opened with a steady 70. Defending champion Xander Schauffele was even-par on 71.
Among the other Koreans, Im Sung-jae carded an even-par 71 to lie tied 32nd, still just four shots off the pace. Song Young-han, who earned his spot via a runner-up finish at the Mizuno Open in Japan, slipped to a 73, while Kim Si-woo posted a 74 and An Byeong-hun endured a torrid day with a 76. Veteran Choi Kyoung-ju, playing on a special exemption as last year’s Senior Open champion, battled to an 81.
“I’m only a few back,” said Im, who mixed two birdies with two bogeys. “I just need a good round tomorrow to get into it.”
McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia all shot 70 to join the group at one under. Despite the blustery conditions, the leaderboard remained tightly packed, suggesting another classic Open test is in store as the championship unfolds over the next three days.