An Ji-min after scoring a hole-in-one on the 9th hole. [Photo=KPGA]
An Ji-min after scoring a hole-in-one on the 9th hole. [Photo=KPGA]

An Ji-min scored a hole-in-one on the opening day of the KPGA Tour Lexus Masters on Thursday, winning a Lexus vehicle as a prize.

Playing at Club72 CC Ocean Course (par 71) on Yeongjongdo, Incheon, An aced the par-3 9th hole from 172 yards to claim an All-New Lexus ES 350e Premium as the hole-in-one prize.

It was the second hole-in-one of An's career. The first came in May at the KPGA Founders Cup, when An holed out on the par-3 14th hole in the opening round.

"I was playing into a headwind, so I aimed right and tried to keep the ball low, thinking it was about 170 meters," An said. "It didn't come off quite the way I intended, but the wind actually carried it in a good direction. I remember the ball bouncing twice after it landed and then going in."

All five par-3 holes at this tournament carry hole-in-one prizes. The 3rd and 8th holes offer a Lexus NX350h, the 9th and 17th a Lexus ES 350e, and the 12th a Ceragem Master V11 and Pause M6.

Jeong Yu-jun fired eight birdies against two bogeys for a 6-under-par 65 to take the lead, one stroke ahead of second-place Park Jun-hong. A pupil of pro Park Sung-kuk, Jeong sits 111th in the season points standings and needs a victory to secure a tour card for next year.

Shin Sang-hun, the Genesis Points leader, was tied for third at 4 under through 17 holes when play was suspended due to darkness, alongside Kim Seung-hyeok and Kang Gyeong-nam. Shin is scheduled to complete the remaining 18th hole at 9:10 a.m. Friday before teeing off in the second round.


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