Si Woo Kim flies with an eagle as Detry leads AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Korean star Si Woo Kim used a brilliant hole-out eagle from the fairway to post a 6-under 66 in testing conditions at the US$20 million AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am as he ended the first round in tied fourth place on Thursday.

The four-time PGA TOUR winner found the bottom of the cup on the sixth hole, his 15^th of the day at Pebble Beach Golf Links as he reacquainted his love affair with the iconic avenue where he holds a career best finish of T4 in 2019 in five previous visits.

Thomas Detry of Belgium fired his career-low round with a 10-birdie 63 at Spyglass Hills Golf Course to lead from former FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay, who carded a 64 also at Spyglass. Last week’s Farmers Insurance Open winner Matthieu Pavon, the first French champion on TOUR since World War II, extended his rich vein of form with a 65 at Pebble Beach.

Kim, who has two T25s as his best finishes in three starts in the 2024 season, produced a stellar mid-round run with six birdies and one eagle, but dropped two bogeys including one on his last hole at the ninth in wet and cold conditions. The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is the second Signature event this season.

“My favorite shot was my third on the sixth hole, a par 5, and it went in for eagle. I felt really good and it was a good shot when it mattered,” said Kim. “I played a good round overall and was unfortunate to make a bogey early (on 12), but I stayed positive and it led to some good golf. I’m glad I was able to secure a good finish in the cold weather.”

Countryman S.H. Kim opened his campaign at Pebble Beach with a 70 while World No. 13 Tom Kim ground out a 71 (Pebble Beach), as did Byeong Hun An (Spyglass). The 80-man field will play the a round each at Pebble Beach and Spyglass before the former hosts the weekend rounds. There is no 36-hole cut this week.

Si Woo Kim ranked second in Total Strokes Gained as he hit 14 greens in regulation and took only 26 putts. Under testy conditions, the 28-year-old was delighted with how he hung on for a good start as he chases a fifth PGA TOUR victory. “I knew the back nine was going to be tough, so I tried to make as many birdies as I could before then. Fortunately, I made an eagle and some birdies on the back nine, so I think I did a good job finishing the tough holes,” he said. “There are some tricky holes (at Spyglass) and some easy ones. I’ll try to keep the good momentum I had today.”

Detry, playing in his second season and chasing a maiden TOUR win, enjoyed a sensational finish with three closing birdies, including a chip-in on the last hole at Spyglass. His 10 birdies on the card was also a career high. “I felt pretty comfortable I would put it within 3 feet, to be honest. And it rolled nicely, just trickled in the hole. It was lovely to watch,” Detry said of his closing birdie.

First-Round Notes – Thursday, February 1, 2024

Weather: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. High of 58. Wind SW 10-15 mph.

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