Kim Ju-hyung, who overcame a two-stroke penalty for playing the wrong ball, finished tied for sixth at the Valspar World Mexico Open. [Getty Images]
Kim Ju-hyung, who overcame a two-stroke penalty for playing the wrong ball, finished tied for sixth at the Valspar World Mexico Open. [Getty Images]

Kim Ju-hyung secured a tied-sixth finish at the PGA Tour's Valspar World Mexico Open, recording the fifth top-10 result of the season.

Kim shot a 5-under-par 66 on the final day Monday (Korean Standard Time) at Vídanta Vallarta (par 71) in Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit, Mexico, carding six birdies against one bogey. A total score of 18-under-par 266 placed Kim in a tie for sixth alongside Doug Kim, Brian Campbell and Pierson Coody, all of the United States.

Kim had been tied for ninth on Sunday and climbed three spots on the final day, finishing seven strokes behind champion Andrew Novak of the United States. It was Kim's first tournament since winning the individual gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, and Kim posted a score in the 60s in all four rounds.

Kim picked up birdies on the third and sixth holes before missing the green on the par-3 seventh for the day's only bogey. Kim quickly recovered with a birdie from 2.5 meters on the par-5 eighth. On the back nine, Kim collected birdies on holes 10, 12 and 14 before parring the final four holes.

Kim had received a two-stroke penalty for playing the wrong ball in the second round, having inadvertently swapped balls with playing partner Campbell. The penalty dropped Kim into a tie for 26th after a double bogey that round, but a bogey-free, six-birdie third round lifted Kim back into a tie for ninth.

The title went to Novak, who entered the final round with a six-stroke lead and extended it further, closing with a 2-under round for a 25-under-par 259 total and a five-stroke victory. Novak collected the winner's check of $1.08 million. Last year, Novak teamed with Ben Griffin of the United States to win the team event at the Zurich Classic, and this victory marked the first individual title of Novak's career.

Steven Fisk of the United States and Christopher Ventura of Norway each fired a final-round 8-under-par 63 to share the runner-up spot at 20-under-par 264.


sports@heraldcorp.com