Making his tournament debut, sponsor invite and World No. 631 Alex Kang painted a bogey-free 7-under-par 33-31=64 in the final round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open to finish up on 6-under 278, up 37 spots to T11 with play still in progress. UPDATE: With play completed, Kang finished a career-best T10 and accepted a top-10 exemption into this coming week’s OHL Classic..
This was the non-member’s second career TOUR start, bettering a T47 at the 2015 Puerto Rico Open. Were he to crack the top 10, it would net him an exemption into next week’s OHL Classic. After opening in 70-73, Kang was one of 16 players to make the cut on the number, T63 at the midpoint, playing the weekend in 71-64 and gaining 7.179 strokes in his last 36 holes at the time he signed his card. His previous low in a now-eight rounds was 4-under 68 in R4 at Trump Int’l GC. Beginning off No. 10 tee, Kang landed nine (of 14) fairways and 14 greens in regulation, circling five at 14-16 and 6 and 7, three from between 11 and 22 feet, kicking off with a hole-out eagle-3 at 13 from 39 yards away.