Kim Ju-hyung opens John Deere Classic in tie for 21st

Kim Ju-hyung opened the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic, which carries a purse of $8.8 million, in a tie for 21st place Friday.

Playing at TPC Deere Run (par 71) in Silvis, Illinois, Kim carded a 4-under-par 67 — six birdies against two bogeys — to sit tied for 21st, the highest finish among South Korean players after the opening round.

Kim's iron play was sharp throughout the round. He converted back-to-back birdies on the fifth and sixth holes, with birdie putts of just 2.5 meters and 1.9 meters. On the par-5 10th, he stuck a bunker shot to within 1.1 meters of the pin before converting for another birdie.

Kim, who signaled an end to his slump last month with a solo third-place finish at the US Open, averaged 321.3 yards off the tee and hit 77.78 percent of greens in regulation. He also showed strong course management, saving par on three of the four holes where he missed the green.

Lucas Glover and Jake Blair of the United States shared the lead at 8-under-par 63. They hold a one-stroke advantage over the trio tied for third — Americans Zach Johnson and Tom Hoge, and Stefan Jaeger of Germany.

Im Sung-jae posted a bogey-free 3-under-par 68 with three birdies to sit tied for 37th. Noh Seung-yul struggled to a 3-over-par 74 — two birdies and five bogeys — and is tied for 131st.