Byeong-hun An carded a bogey-free 61 to match the course record at The Renaissance Club and establish a two-shot lead after day one of the Genesis Scottish Open.
The South Korean fired nine birdies to set the early target ahead of Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and Belgian Thomas Detry and, while American Davis Riley threatened his lead in the afternoon with seven birdies in eight holes from the third, An would not be caught in the third Rolex Series event of the season.
Riley was also bogey-free to sit at seven under after a 63, a shot clear of Detry and McIlroy and two ahead of South Korea’s K.H. Lee and German Yannik Paul.
An is no stranger to claiming big wins on the DP World Tour, having triumphed at the BMW PGA Championship in 2015 en route to finishing seventh in the Race to Dubai and winning the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award.
The 31-year-old also has a win on the European Challenge Tour and revealed he felt right at home in Europe and on links having played in eight Open Championships.
“It was nice, always, bogey-free nine under par,” said An.
“I couldn’t play any better. I drove it well and hit it well and chipped it well and putted well. That’s a clean scorecard. Overall, very relaxed out there and weather has been nice so far today.”
Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex leader McIlroy made a two-putt birdie on the par-five tenth and then holed from around 20 feet on the 12th and 13th.
A 41-foot putt on the 15th was followed by an up-and-down birdie on the par-five next and, while McIlroy bogeyed the 17th and second, he eagled the par-five third with a 30-footer from off the green after a 360-yard drive and made the most of the short par-four fifth after leaving himself a flick in.
Lee was bogey-free in his 65, while Paul carded four birdies, an eagle and a bogey to sit a shot ahead of American duo Max Homa and Will Gordon, local favourite Ewen Ferguson, South African Oliver Bekker, Frenchman Julien Brun, England’s Ross Fisher, South Korean Tom Kim and Swede David Lingmerth.
