The iMBank Open in September last year was the most painful moment for Byun. He expected his first career championship by tying for the lead up to the third round of the championship, but failed to win the trophy on the last day due to lackluster performance with three over par. Fans are increasingly saddened by such performance.
The Dong-A Ilbo met him on Sunday at Yeongam 45 (par 72) in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province. The KPGA Tour KPGA Classic (total prize money of 700 million won) will be held for four days through Saturday.
On the first day of the competition, Byun made 10 birdies and one bogey to score 19 points. He is the lone lead by one point over Kim Han-byul, who is ranking second alone.
This year’s new championship is the only one in the KPGA tour that uses a modified stable pod system consisting of scores assigned to each player. Albatross gets eight points, eagle scores five, and buddy scores two. If a player writes down par, the player has zero points, while bogey has -1 point, and double bogey or lower has -3 points.
“I had a bogey in the beginning, but as time passed, I gained sense of play. I had good shots and I understood the slope well when I was putting,” Byun said about the game. He garnered as many as seven birdies in the second half alone, instantly increasing his score to 19 points. “It is the first time that I have recorded seven birdies in nine holes since my debut in the tour. I think it was advantageous to play early in the morning when there was no wind,” he said.안전 토토사이트
After performing well on the first day, Byun expressed his hope for his first win. “I’ve been on a tour for a long time, but I have no win yet, so I desperately want to win. This time, I really want to get my first win,” he said. He also thanked his family for always supporting him. “I’m always supported by my family. I told them to just play comfortably this time, but I want to repay them with a win.”