In-form Kim Joo Hyung seeks 1st PGT Asia crown

MANILA, Philippines — After scoring a maiden victory in record fashion on the Philippine Golf Tour at Pueblo de Oro, Korean Kim Joo Hyung goes for another first – a PGT Asia diadem as he joins the stellar international cast in the $100,000 ICTSI Forest Hills Championship beginning tomorrow in Antipolo.

While he said he feels good about nailing his first win and becoming the youngest winner on the local circuit, the 16-year-old shotmaker has opted to downplay his chances for another title crack against a tougher field on a tougher Forest Hills Golf and Country Club’s Nicklaus course.

“I feel good and my game is in shape,” said Kim, who bested the cream of the local pro crop plus a slew of foreign aces to win the Pueblo De Oro Championship in Cagayan de Oro over the weekend. “But for me, right now it’s just a learning process. Even if I won last week, I’m still trying to learn right now.”

He expects to learn more from a souped-up field this week and a rolling course made tougher by uneven terrain, which requires well-placed shots due to elevation changes and multiple ravines. But as with all mountain courses, the greens are the ultimate challenge, particularly the recognition of the general lay of the land and its effect on one’s putt, which is so crucial to a good round.

“The course is a little bit tricky. But if I want to win again, every part of my game needs to be good,” said Kim, bracing for four days of test of shotmaking and will from the best in the fold in the fourth leg of the second season of the region’s newest circuit put up by ICTSI.

They include Jobim Carlos, whom Kim beat by one at Pueblo and who is gunning for a second PGTA victory.