S. Korean men in solid positions after 1st round of golf

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 11 (Yonhap) — Both of the South Korean players went under par in the opening round of men’s golf at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Thursday, putting themselves in solid positions with three more days left.

An Byeong-hun is tied for ninth among 60 players after trading seven birdies with four bogeys for a three-under 68 on the par-71, 7,128-yard Olympic Golf Course.

Wang Jeung-hun managed three birdies but also had a double bogey en route to a one-under 70, which put him in a 10-way tie for 17th place on a sunny and windy day.

Marcus Fraser of Australia is the first round leader at eight-under 63. He had nine birdies against one bogey.

Henrik Stenson of Sweden, this year’s Open Championship winner, and Graham Delaet of Canada are tied for second place at five-under 66. Former major champion Justin Rose, of Britain, was among five golfers at four-under 67.

An was in the first group to tee off at 7:30 a.m. with Adilson da Silva of Brazil and Delaet, as golf returned to the Olympics for the first time in 112 years.

An, the 2015 European Tour Rookie of the Year, had the tournament’s first bogey on the first hole and also its first birdie on the second hole.

He had five birdies on the front nine, with the conditions more benign, and when the wind picked up later in the morning with his group on the back nine, An scored two birdies against three bogeys.

South Korea’s An Byeong-hun tees off on the first hole in the first round of the men’s golf competition at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Aug. 11, 2016.

He missed a short par putt on the par-3 17th, but ended the day on a high note with a birdie on the par-5 18th.

“A three-under is not too bad,” An said. “It’s important to have a good start because it’s not an easy track. You need to have some under-par rounds. I took advantage of having no wind on the front nine.”

An hit 10 of 13 fairways and hit 15 greens in regulation. He averaged 274.5 yards off the tee.

Wang, a two-time European Tour winner this year, was paired with Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium and Espen Kofstad of Norway, starting at 8:14 a.m.

Wang had his first birdie on the par-4 third, and later birdied the par-4 12th. He gave back both shots with a double bogey on the next hole, a par-4 13th listed at 466 yards.

He managed to get back to under par with a birdie on the par-4 16th.

Wang averaged more than 280 yards off the tee, while hitting all 13 fairways.

“I’m a bit disappointed with the score because I hit the ball really well,” Wang said. “On the 13th, I chunked a three-iron on my second shot and got into the rough. I think I should be able to play better tomorrow.”

South Korean golfer Wang Jeung-hun takes a putt during the first round of the men’s golf competition at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Aug. 11, 2016.