Song starts with a 71 at The Open

（Photo by The OPEN)

South Korea’s Song Yong-han, a two-time JGTO winner, opened his campaign at The Open promisingly with an even-par 71 to trail first round leader Daniel Brown of England by six shots. 
 
The 33-year-old, who is making his second appearance at The Open, mixed his card with five birdies, two bogeys and a triple-bogey on the 11^th hole at the Royal Troon Golf Club to be among 13 players including former world no. 1 Jordan Spieth bunched in tied-18 place.
 
“The gusty wind conditions and rain made play very challenging for me today. But I’m pleased with how I managed my round and I'm glad I managed to return with a 71. I hope to go under-par tomorrow and make the weekend cut,” said the 33-year-old.
 
Masahiro Kawamura returned with a 72, while The Open debutant Aguri Iwasaki opened his campaign with a 74. Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama and Ryosuke Kinoshita carded matching 75s. 
 
“This is the first time I’ve seen such strong winds and it was a really tough day in the office. Even when it rains the greens are still very hard. I made a lot of putting mistakes. But if I can improve my putting, I believe I should get a better score,” said Kinoshita.
 
Meanwhile, Ryo Hisatsune and Yuto Katsuragawa posted identical 76s where the former admitted he was also blown off course by the gusty conditions.
 
“The wind was blowing very strong and I just couldn’t make the right club selection today. I was trying to find my rhythm in the front-nine where I made three bogeys. But it got a little better in the back-nine as I managed to a birdie on 16,” said Hisatsune.
 
Rikuya Hoshino, Keita Nakajima and Koh Gun-taek struggled to 79, 80 and 81 respectively.
 
Ends.