Korean Poised for Run at British Open

Will the Hoylake Royal Liverpool Golf Club (par 72, 7,258 yards) in England, where the 135th British Open is being held after a thirty nine year absence, see a champion set a new record for the least number of strokes?

The first round of “the Open,” the world’s oldest golf tournament, ended on the early morning of July 21 (Korean time).

The concerns about Hoylake as being too easy for a major tournament are coming true.

A total of 67 of 156 participants shot under par, and fierce competition is expected with 32 players in the 60s. It broke the record of 59 players shooting under par in the first round of the British Open at St. Andrews in 1995.

The champion this year is likely to easily break the winning score of 10-under 278 made by Robert de Vincenzo, who won the British Open at Royal Liverpool in 1967. The record for the least number of strokes in the British Open was made by Greg Norman of Australia who shot a 267 to win the Open at Royal St. George.

Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland is the leader with a 6-under-66, and “Golf Emperor” Tiger Woods, who aims to win the Open for two consecutive years, is one stroke behind.

“New Bridgroom” Heo Seok-ho, 33, who married last December, shot a 4-under-68, good for 7th place with Ernie Els of the South African Republic and Sergio Garcia of Spain. “Tank” Choi Kyeong-ju, Nike Golf, fell behind with an even 72 and is ranked 68th.

In his first participation in the 2003 British Open, Heo had a painful experience that he could not hold his good scores within the top ten in the first round through the third round on to the final round.

Heo shot with a 71.4 percent precision rate and 77.8 percent of his shots landed on the green. He also made 28 putts, a top-level putting performance. Confident of his play, Heo said, “I had a good sense of my putting and liked my improved tee shots. Through my experience in 2003, I learned how to play on a links course. This year, I feel more comfortable.”

Young-Sik Ahn ysahn@donga.com