Oakmont: South Korean veterans Kim Si-woo and Im Sung-jae have put themselves in early contention at the third major tournament of the 2025 PGA Tour season. The duo each shot a two-under 70 to tie for third place in the first round of the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, western Pennsylvania.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the par-70 course was set at 7,372 yards for the first round. Kim and Im are tied with two-time U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka, while J.J. Spaun of the United States leads at four-under. Thriston Lawrence of South Africa holds the second position at three-under. Both Kim, with four tour titles, and Im, a two-time tour winner, are in pursuit of their first major championship victory.

This year, Im had tied for fifth at the Masters in April, and Kim secured a tie for eighth at the PGA Championship in May. Kim, who had an early tee time at 7:51 a.m., benefited from the less windy conditions in the morning. Starting his day at No. 10, he managed two birdies on his first nine holes, adding another two birdies and two bogeys over his remaining nine holes.

Kim expressed his surprise at his performance, stating, "I played the last couple days in hard wind, and it kind of felt helpful for me. It was a good round. Honestly, I don't even know what I'm doing on the course. Kind of hitting well, but feel like this course is too hard for me. So kind of like no expectation, but I played great today." He also mentioned that his top-10 finish at the PGA Championship was a significant confidence booster and referred to it as "the turning point."

Im, who also started on the 10th hole, recorded three birdies on his front nine. He briefly led the tournament at five-under after birdies at Nos. 1 and 2, but bogeys at the third and fourth holes cost him those shots. Another bogey at No. 8, a 276-yard par-3, added to his challenges. Im commented, "Overall, I played really well. I made a couple of putting mistakes. Basically, I planned to shoot under par, so I made the goal."

Im noted that fast greens and unforgiving rough posed significant challenges during the opening round. "Most of the greens are very fast and tough. It's undulating, kind of a tricky break as well," he remarked. "Most of the times in the rough, it's very hard, so I need to lay up. Today, it was lucky that I hit many fairways. So that's what helped."

In contrast, two other South Koreans in the field had over-par scores on Thursday. Tom Kim carded a 72 with three birdies against five bogeys, while An Byeong-hun posted a 74 with two birdies and six bogeys.