SOUTH KOREANS SHARE LEAD ON HOME GROUND

NEWS RELEASE FROM THE ASIAN TOUR 

Jecheon, South Korea: South Korean rookie Ma Soo-kil and countryman Lee Sang-hee kept the host country atop the leaderboard when they posted matching six-under-par 66s to share the first-round lead at the inaugural Volvik Hildesheim Open J Golf Series today.

The 22-year-old South Korean, who is making his debut on the South Korean Golf Tour, mixed his card with five birdies, an eagle and a bogey while Lee enjoyed a flawless round that was highlighted by an eagle-three on the 16^th hole to take a single shot lead over compatriots Choi Ho Sung and Kim Dae-hyun.

The South Korean pair returned with matching 67s to take tied-third place while Asian Tour winners Pariya Juhnasavasdik of Thailand and Australia’s Scott Hend are among the seven players bunched in equal fifth on 68 at the Hildesheim Country Club.

FIRST ROUND LEADERS

Par 72. Yardage 7,188

Players from South Korea unless stated

66 MA Soo-kil, LEE Sang-hee.

67 CHOI Ho-sung, KIM Dae-hyun.

68 Scott HEND (AUS), KIM Meen-whee, Pariya JUNHASAVASDIKUL (THA), LEE Min-chang, BAEK Joo-yeob, KIM Seong-yong, MO Joong-kyung.

69 BYUN Jin-jae, PARK Jun-won (KOR), KIM Woo-chan, Adilson DA SILVA (BRA), Stephen LEWTON (ENG), Daisuke KATAOKA (JPN), LEE Ki-sang, Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA), Javi COLOMO (ESP), PARK Boo-won.

70 LEE Min-soo, PARK Jung-ho, Thanyakon KHRONGPHA (THA), SONG Young-hoon, SUK Jong-yul, PARK Hyun-bin, BAE Sung-chul, Makoto INOUE (JPN), PARK Seung-hoo.