Having the best season of his career by winning 2 tournaments in 2003, Oh Tae-Keun led the 46th Kolon Korea Open (Purse: 500 million won) in the 1st round.
In the 1st round of the Korea Open which took place at the Woojeong Hills Country Club(par 72, 7042yd) in Cheonan, Chungnam, Oh Tae-Keun led the tournament with terrific iron shots with a 5-under 67 (6 birdies, 1 bogey) ahead of Lee Sun-Ho who shot 4-under. Oh, who started the round at the 10th hole, got a 60 yard approach shot 1.5m from the pin on the 12th hole and then got a birdie.
Then he shot a 4m slice line birdie on the 14th hole (par 4, 424yd). Oh tae-Keun seemed to struggle with a 3-putt on a short 5m of the 17th hole (par 4, 467yd), but shot a perfect 4 birdies without a bogey in the second half. Oh went through the tricky Woo Jeong Hills green with accurate iron shots.
Meanwhile, in the first cross-gender game in Korea between John Daly and Laura Davies, Daly won the first day. In this match, which attracted over 300 gallery, Daly shot 1-over 73 while Davies shot 73 placing themselves on the 13th and 84th place among the five groups. Only using the driver only three times, and despite mainly using his wood and 2nd iron, Daly surprised the gallery with outstanding driving distances.
However, Laura Davis bumped into her driving distance limit. After the game, Davies said 'Despite some good driver shots and putts, when you are 20-30 yards behind Daly or Hu Seok-Ho it's a different game.' But 'I am optimistic on passing the cut tomorrow if I maintain these putts,' she added.
Lee Sun-ho, who joined the tour no.1 for the first time in 2003, this yet unknown player, led the 46th Kolon Korea Open.
Lee started the 2nd round with 4-under, one stroke behind the current leader Oh Tae-Keun, finished the day with an even-parr of 4 birdies and 4 bogeys, a total 4-under 140. Lee Sun-Ho was able to lead the tournament by a stroke ahead of Oh Tae-Keun, who shot 4-over in the last 6 holes, losing his 7-under lead. After the round, 'I am very content with this unexpected lead,' said Lee, 'I will continue to play cautiously, and hopefully finish this tournament with a good result,' he added.
Oh Tae-Keun, who led the tournament in the 1st round, shot 74 to score 3-under 141 in 2nd place with Robert Jacobson.
John Daly placed himself in the 4th with Choi Sang-Ho and Kim Jong-Deok shooting 69 with 6 birdies and 3 bogeys scoring 2-under 142. Kim Jong-Deok was selected the best player of the day with a perfect play shooting 6 birdies in the 2nd round.
The cut-off was 7-over 151 this day, and 67 players continued into the next round including 7 amateur players.
However, spotlighted with the first cross-gender match in Korea, Laura Davies couldn't overcome the driving distance shooting 5-over and scoring 11-over 155, disqualified on the 100th place. 'I was pleased to play with good players and I learned a lot,' she continued 'I was disappointed about only playing 2 days out of the 4 rounds.'
Justin Rose (England), the rookie of the European tour, struggled with the delicate green, shooting 9-over 153 total to be disqualified.
Although leaving the tournament behind, Laura Davies and Justin Rose continued to participate in the event with one-point clinics for amateurs.
Jack Nickalus VIP customers, Hampyung Golf High School and students of the Cheonnam Univ. physical education departments participated in this one-point clinic.
Pressure Put on 'The Future Rookie' Hu Seok-Ho
During the 3rd round of the Kolon Korea Open which took place at the Woojeong Hills golf course in Cheonan, Chungnam on the 11th, Hu Seok-Ho shot 3-under 69 scoring 2-under 214 and tying on the 3rd place with 'the Monster of Driver' John Daly.
Starting the 3rd round with 1-over, Hu pushed forward shooting 5 birdies (1 bogey) until the 14th hole. But, he had to announce unplayable at the 17th hole (par 4, 467yd), when the tee went into the bushes of the right-side woods, which led to a double-bogey. He almost lost control of his game, but recovered his calm and shot a birdie at the 18th hole (par 5, 561yd).
On this day, Thaworn Wiratchant and Liang Wen-chong lead the tournament at 3-under 213. Liang Wen-chong was first introduced in last year's Korea-China Cup as known as China's new hope.
After a bogey at the 3rd hole, Liang shot 5 birdies at holes no.4 to 11, but struggled again with a bogey-bogey at the 16th and 17th hole. Liang will compete with Hu Seok-Ho and John Daly for the Korea Open title.
With a solid 70 and 72 strokes during the 1st and 2nd round, Wiratchant climbed on the first place with a 1-under 71 (4 birdies, 3 bogeys). Meanwhile, John Daly finished the 3rd round at even-par. Daly started with a birdie but double-bogeyed the last hole after an OB, finishing the round on 3rd place.
After the 3rd round, Daly said 'I had a hard time when I lost control of my game,' expressing the difficulty.
Daly, Distance Tells the Score! Wins the Tournament with a 4-under on the Last Day
The 46th Kolon Korea Open (Purse: 500 million won) showed how driving distance and power influences golf.
At the 4th round of the Korea Open which took place at the Woojeong Hills golf course (par 72, 7042yd) in Cheonan, Chungnam, John Daly(U.S.A.) dominated the tournament with outstanding driving distance shooting 4-under 68 scoring 6-under 282 to win the trophy.
The prize money was 100 million won. John Daly started the last round with a bogey.
However, Daly corrected his mistake with a birdie at the 2nd hole (par 4, 413 yd) after getting a 135 yard 2nd shot 1.2m of the pin. Finishing the first half at even-par with 2 birdies and 2 bogeys, Daly came back in the second half.
Daly shot 310 yards with his no.3-wood, got 6m of the pin from 185 yards finishing with a birdie at the 11th hole (par 5, 494yd). Shooting two birdies again at the 12th and 13th hole, Daly shot a tee up to the edge finishing with a birdie at the 15th hole (par 4, 378yd). Daly nailed down his victory with this shot while Simon Yetz(England) scored a bogey.
He continued to play aggressively until the last hole receiving a round of applause and cheers from the spectators in return.
During the interview Daly said, 'I am very glad to win after some personal issues this year,' he continued 'this tournament is more meaningful since it will be my last of this year.' After the tournament Daly donated his shoes to the country club adding 'this is my own to celebrate my victory, a way to thank the country club and express my respect for other players.' This was his first victory since his last one at the 2001 BMW International European Tour in 2001.
Thaworn Wiratchant (Thailand), who led the tournament until the 3rd round, scored 4-unde 284 in 2nd place while Simon Yetz (England) came in third at 3-under 285.
With John Daly's victory, the Korea Open saw two consecutive wins by foreign players, Sergio Garcia winning last year. This record is appraised to take the Korea Open to another level.