Choi Chan shares first-round lead at Golfzon Open, eyes third win of season

Choi Chan fired a sharp opening round Thursday to share the lead at the Korea Professional Golf Association Tour's Golfzon Open, which carries a purse of 1 billion won ($731,000).

Choi carded nine birdies against three bogeys for a 6-under-par 65 at Golfzon County Sunsan in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, joining Jung Chan-min, Park Jun-seop and Lee Gyu-min at the top of the leaderboard. The 29-year-old now has a chance to become the first player this season to reach three victories.

Choi's round was defined by aggressive shot-making and precise approach play. Accurate tee shots kept him in the fairway, allowing him to fire iron shots close to the pin and generate a string of birdie opportunities. Even when he found the rough, composed course management helped him limit the damage.

"I tried to stay in the fairway as much as possible," Choi said after the round. "There were a few holes where I ended up in the rough, but they weren't in spots that made the second shot too difficult, so I was able to play comfortably." He added that winning is his clear goal. "I want to get my third win of the season. The pin positions look like they'll get tougher Friday, so I plan to focus on hitting fairways. I'll try to keep the good scores going."

Jung Chan-min, who won the Golfzon-Toray Open on the same course in 2023, reaffirmed his affinity for the layout with seven birdies against one bogey. Starting on the 10th hole, Jung made a bogey on his opening hole but reeled off seven birdies over the remaining holes.

Moon Dong-hyun, this season's KPGA Championship winner, posted a bogey-free 5-under 66 with five birdies to share fifth place with veteran Choi Jin-ho.

Defending champion Park Sung-kook sits in a tie for 36th after a 1-under 70. "It was a tough day overall because my ball-striking wasn't there," Park said. "Still, I managed to hold things together reasonably well, and I finished the last hole with a birdie, so I think if I work hard from tomorrow I can put up a good result."

Moon Do-yeop, who is preparing for the Asian Games beginning Sept. 30 in Aichi-Nagoya, traded a birdie and a bogey to finish at even-par 71, placing him in a tie for 49th.

Jang Yu-bin, Choi's closest rival in the season-long title race, struggled to a 2-over 73 with one birdie and three bogeys, leaving him in a tie for 93rd.

The tournament is seen as a pivotal event in the race for individual season honors. Jang leads the Genesis Points standings with 4,230.70 points, while Choi sits second with 3,123.87 points.

The winner will receive 1,000 Genesis Points and a prize of 200 million won. Choi, currently third on the money list with 516.06 million won, would leapfrog leading money winner Jang — who has earned 682.81 million won — and move to the top of the standings with a victory this week.