Kang Leads, Rory Hie Trails By 5 Shots At Kolon Korea Open

Cheonan, Korea, Oct 18 - Korean Tour regular Kang Kyung-nam went on a birdie blitz on Thursday en-route to a three-under par 68 and a two-stroke lead in the first round of OneAsia's Kolon Korea Open.

Kang had just 24 putts around the tricky Woo Jeong Hills Country Club course, around 85 kms (50 miles) south of the capital, to stand two shots clear of American Garrett Sapp.

Play was suspended due to bad light with five groups still to finish, but none had a realistic chance of catching the leader.

Kang, 28, has had two top-three finishes in OneAsia events this season -- and won twice on the Korea Tour last year -- but is desperate to do well in the 55th edition of the country's National Open Championship, which boasts a purse of one billion won (around US$900,000).

"This is the event that Korean players want to win more than any other," he said after a round that boasted seven birdies offset by four bogeys.

"Some great players have won this event, so it would be great to match them."

Sapp, a OneAsia Q-School graduate, has hit a purple patch since a blistering seven-under par 65 in the final round of the the Charity High1 Resort Open last month.v He finished joint fourth at last week's Nanshan China Masters and has roared up the Order of Merit to 11th place with earnings of US$84,376.47 -- probably guaranteeing his card for next year.

"I think it is a mental thing," he said. "Playing well gives you confidence, and confidence makes you play better."

Only two players have broken par in an opening round marked by some very tricky pin positions.

In joint third place at level par are Koreans Choi Ho-sung, Suk Jong-yul, Kim Byung-jun and Kim Dae-hyun, and American Hong "Charles" Chang-kyu.

American Rickie Fowler won the tournament in 2011 after an epic tussle with world number one Rory McIlroy, and this year's field is packed with young talent and experienced old hands -- including a slew of PGA Tour regulars.

Japan's Ryo Ishikawa and Korea's Noh Seiung-yul, both aged 21 and now playing in the U.S., drew the biggest crowd around the 6,605-metre (7,225-yard) course -- including scores of adoring female fans.

Ishikawa, a nine-time winner on the Japan tour, said the pin positions had been "brutal" after using his putter 31 times before signing for a 75.

"Wow, it was very difficult. It feels like some of the holes are on slopes," he said.

Noh was two shots better with the same number of putts.

Also struggling on the greens was 14-year-old America-based Chinese amateur Andy Zhang, who in June became the youngest person ever to qualify for the U.S. Open.

Zhang made the turn at seven over par, but settled his nerves to finish the next nine level, with two birdies and two bogeys.

Indonesia's number one golfer Rory Hie scored an eagle on the 5th hole and a birdie on 18, but added to 5 bogeys he still ended at 2 over par 73 for a share of 16th place.

Even previous winners of the tournament battled on Thursday.

Two-time champion Bae Sang-moon, a runner-up on the U.S. PGA Tour this year, shot a 79 that included a triple-bogey on the par-five eighth, while Y.E. Yang was two over despite holing a green-side bunker shot for eagle on the same hole.

"I didn't even see it go in," said Yang, Asia's first Major winner, who lost out in a dramatic five-hole sudden-death play-off to China's Liang Wenchong at last week's Nanshan China Masters.

Scores after round 1 of the Kolon Korea Open being played at the par 71, 6,605-metre (7,225- yard) Woo Jeong Hills Country Club course (a- denotes amateur):

68 - KANG Kyung-nam (KOR).

70 - Garrett SAPP (USA).

71 - CHOI Ho-sung (KOR), SUK Jong-yul (KOR), KIM Byung-jun (KOR), KIM Dae-hyun (KOR), HONG Chang-kyu (USA).

72 - Lucas LEE (BRA), PARK Ju-hyuk (KOR), KIM Do-hoon 753 (KOR), Kalem RICHARDSON (AUS), KIM Dae-sub (KOR), CHAE Bum-geun (KOR), YOON Jung-ho (KOR).

73 - MOON Kyong-jun (KOR), KANG Wook-soon (KOR), LEE Ki-sang (KOR), NOH Seung-yul (KOR), Rory HIE (INA), Y. E. YANG (KOR), LEE Kee-dae (USA), David OH (USA), Wisut ARTJANAWAT (THA), MAENG Dong-seop (KOR), BAE Hee-chan (KOR).