Collin Morikawa Shoots a 68 in Scotland; Michael Kim Gets Good News

Collin Morikawa posted an eagle on his third hole at the Genesis Scottish Open on Thursday, but the 28-year-old Cal grad finished the first round in a tie for 33rd place after a 2-under 68.

In the tuneup for next week’s Open Championship in Northern Ireland, Morikawa is four strokes off the pace on the par-70 layout at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland.

Another Cal alum, Michael Kim, got good news when he was among six players added to the 156-player field that will play at Royal Portrush next week in Northern Ireland. The 31-year-old South Korean, ranked No. 56 in the world, makes his return to The Open after missing out a year ago.

Four players — Nico Echavarria, Sepp Straka, Jake Knapp and Victor Perez — are tied for the lead in Scotland after shooting 6-under 64s. Among them, Knapp, who played a bogey-free round, is hoping to secure a last-minute invite to The Open.

Four players are one stroke back at 5-under 65 and five more, including Viktor Hovland, shot 66s. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and one-time Cal player Byeong Hun An are among 19 who share 14th place after carding 67s.

An, the leader among three former Golden Bears in the field, made birdies on three of his first four holes before back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 8 and 9. But he rebounded by playing the back nine at 2 under, with birdies on the 10th and 16th holes.

Morikawa’s round started well with an eagle-3 on the par-5 fifth hole before a birdie on No. 6. He hit a rough patch with bogeys on Nos. 7, 8 and 10 to go back to even for the day. With birdies on the 12th and 14th holes, the world’s fifth-ranked player shot 2 under over the final eight holes.

Kim, 30, is tied for 49th place after a 1-under 69 that included making nine straight pars on the front nine. He overcame bogeys on the 11th and 12th holes with an eagle-2 on the 13th and he got under par by making a birdie on No. 16.

Kim joins Morikawa, An and fellow Cal alum Sampson Zheng in the field at The Open, giving the Bears four entries into the season’s final major tournament. Zheng, 23, earned an invite through a qualifying event at Liverpool, England, early this month.

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