Jang Yu-bin chases third KPGA win of season, sits near lead at Shinhan Donghae Open

Jang Yu-bin took a strong first step toward his third KPGA Tour win of the season.

Jang shot a 4-under 68 in the first round of the 42nd Shinhan Donghae Open on Thursday, carding eight birdies against one double bogey and two bogeys. The tournament, which carries a purse of 1.5 billion won ($1.12 million), is being held at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea Urban & Links Course (par 72) in Incheon.

As of 5 p.m., Jang finished the opening day tied for third, 1 stroke behind co-leaders Aguri Iwasaki and Daichiro Idehara of Japan, who each shot 5-under 67.

Jang, who won back-to-back titles at the KPGA Classic and the Hana Bank Invitational in June, has set himself up for a third victory this season.

Starting from the 10th hole, Jang built momentum with four birdies through the 17th. But a wayward tee shot into the water on the par-5 18th hole led to a double bogey to close out his front nine. On the back nine, he added four more birdies, including three in a row from the first to third holes. He then dropped a stroke each on the par-3 fifth and par-4 ninth holes.

"There was a strong headwind right before my tee shot on the 18th, and even though I accounted for it, I still made a mistake," Jang said. "I made a lot of mistakes today, so there is some disappointment, but I feel like I can play better tomorrow than I did today."

Veteran Park Sang-hyun, a 16-time KPGA Tour winner, also shot a 4-under 68, matching Jang and Park Eun-shin, after limiting himself to just one bogey against five birdies.

"My irons felt good today, so I created a lot of birdie chances," Park said. "I practiced my iron shots a lot ahead of this tournament, and if my putting comes together, I think I can get a good result," he added confidently.

The winner of this tournament will earn a five-year exemption on the KPGA Tour, along with a two-year exemption on the Japan Golf Tour Organization, which co-sanctions the event.