Michael Bestor with Yong-Eun Yang
Asian Tour members Y.E. Yang and K.J. Choi of Korea got off to a flying start at The Masters with matching five-under-par 67s in the opening round on Thursday.
They lie in tied third place two strokes from tournament leaders Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Alvaro Quiros of Spain at the Augusta National Golf Club.
Yang, Asia’s first Major champion, made the turn in 32 before mixing his card with two birdies and one eagle against three bogeys in the back nine. He would have taken a share of the lead but slipped back with bogeys in the last two holes.
“It's a bit disappointing to finish off two bogeys in a row, and go back down to behind the leader, but at the same time there’s still a lot of golf left,” said Yang.
He said winning the 2009 PGA Championship has given him a boost in confidence.
“Winning a major is not a privilege but more of an honour. And with that honour comes a lot of confidence whenever you head out to the field, not just in a major, but also in other tournaments.
“So coming into the Masters, or in any other major, it's no longer a dream for you, and it does wonders for you once you know that it's something that you can grasp. With that thought in mind, you no longer think that it's unreachable. That brings in a lot of confidence in yourself,” Yang added.
Choi, a seven-time US PGA Tour winner, endured a slow start with a pair of birdies and bogeys in the first 11 holes but burst into life from the 13th hole when he returned with five birdies in his closing six holes.
“The bogey on the 11th hole was like medicine for me; if I had saved par, I probably would have been too excited and maybe lose my rhythm,” said Choi.
Choi is making his ninth appearance in The Masters and is buoyant by his strong finishes in Augusta, the best placing being in tied third in 2004. He said the Augusta National Golf Club reminded him of fond memories from his first Asian Tour victory at the 1999 Korean Open.
“This course has the same aura and same atmosphere as Seoul Country Club when I won the 1999 Korean Open. There are a lot of tall pine trees over there. The greens are firm really protected, surrounded by the pine trees. And even the winds can get gusty there.
“I think I also feel comfortable because I know where to hit the ball on to the green and I know where to attack the fairways. The fact that there are so many galleries here on both sides of the hole, on any hole, any given hole, it enables me to focus,” added the Korean.
