South Korea’s Byeong Hun An carded nine birdies for a first-round 61 to grab the outright lead by three strokes at the Scottish Open on Thursday.
Hun An, a three-time runner up who has zero PGA Tour wins in 175 career starts, began play on the 10th and with five birdies, hit the turn with a 30. His final putt for birdie on the ninth, his 18th hole of the day, left him a 61, three better than Irishman Rory McIlroy and Belgian Thomas Detry at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland.
McIlroy held the lead for part of the first round on Thursday, surging to the top of the leaderboard on his 12th hole of the day — No. 3 — with an eagle on the 630-yard par 5.
Hun An missed an ace at the 14th and tapped in during a stretch of four consecutive birdies on his opening nine. He grabbed the lead for good with a chip to within a three feet and the ensuing putt on the par-5 3rd to get to 7 under.
–Field Level Media
