FORT WORTH, Texas – Sean O’Hair withdrew on Thursday morning prior to his 8:43 a.m. (ET) first-round tee time at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

He was replaced in the field by alternate Sung Kang of South Korea.

O’Hair cited an issue with his neck in deciding to withdraw.

Kang is playing in the threesome that also includes Ben Crane and Jim Furyk.

By Ward Clayton, PGATOUR.COM

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Sung Kang admires the consistency that his buddy Kevin Na has displayed this week in THE PLAYERS Championship, both physically and mentally.

“Mentally, he is strong,” said Kang, a 24-year-old South Korean and a regular practice round partner of Na, the 54-hole leader. “I think he’ll play pretty good and I think he’s going to figure it out.”

Kang has witnessed Na’s aborted pre-swing routine plenty of times in practice rounds. Kang joked that when Na is in his routine, he will regularly lean forward to walk to the next shot before having to stop.

“He goes up and I am taking a step ahead; it always happens,” Kang said.

“Kevin just wants to make sure he has the right backswing. He knows when he goes back wrong that he’ll hit a bad shot. He just wants to make sure his backswing is right, so he doesn’t have to think about it.”

Kang was all over the map in his first PLAYERS Championship appearance, completing 72 holes at 4-over 292. But that doesn’t tell the complete story as he made 15 birdies and three eagles balanced by a quadruple bogey 8 on the tournament’s first hole, two triple bogeys in the final round and two double bogeys on the par-3 17th.

The Sunday triple bogey on the par-4 10th came after his second shot was stuck high up in a palm tree and could not be identified. He finished his tournament with a chip-in eagle on the par-5 16th and birdieing 17 to shoot a final-round 77.

“I was 21-under for 18 holes,” he said with a smile. “Now I’ve got to figure out what to do with the other 54 holes.”

Kang said he had to leave in late afternoon for a flight to Dallas for this week’s HP Byron Nelson Championship, but that he would contact Na tonight.

“We just text each other regularly,” Kang said. “(Last night) I just told him to go ’em, to play well.”

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Sunghoon Kang withdrew from the tournament after his round Friday. No reason was given.

Kang shot a 5-over 77 on Spyglass Hill with five bogeys and no birdies. He shot a 3-over 75 at Pebble Beach in the opening round.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- After a dinner of Cheetos Friday night, Sunghoon Kang feasted on Korean food for breakfast prior to the third round of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic.

"And I really felt good in the morning," the 24-year-old said.

Kang certainly played like he did, too. He started on the back nine of the Magnolia Course and made birdie on five of his first six holes on the way to a 67 that left him in a tie for 10th.

The solid performance couldn't come at a better time for the South Korean, either. He started the week ranked 141st on the PGA TOUR money list and has improved two spots.

Of course, Kang needs a stellar Sunday to avoid a third trip to q-school. But he's actually treating the week like the dreaded final stage.

"I'm in the right spot right now," he said. "I think this is less pressure than q-school. So I hope I play a little better than today for tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have a spot for next year."

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Sunghoon Kang played with his buddy Bio Kim on Friday when the 21-year-old shot 65 at the Magnolia Course.

So Kang knew there were low scores on the course that is generally regarded as the more difficult of the two in the rotation for the Children's Miracle Network Classic. And the 24-year-old South Korean is proving it in the third round.

Kang started on the back nine Saturday and birdied five of his first six holes to move to 10 under for the tournament. He's played seven holes and now trails Kim, who is tied for the lead with Justin Leonard and Henrik Stenson by two strokes.

Leonard, Stenson and Kim have just teed off in the day’s final group.

By Zak Kozuchowski, PGATOUR.COM

Smooth greens and soft conditions led to ultra-low scores in Round 3 at Annandale.

For many players, Round 3 was their second round of the day. But the physical challenge of playing 36 holes in mid-summer Mississippi heat was only evident in their sweat-stained shirts, but not their birdie-filled scorecards.

Chris Kirk birdied the par 5 finishing hole to take the outright lead going into the final round. It was one of the eight birdies he carded for a third-round 64.

Behind Kirk sits a group of four players at 17 under, which includes George McNeill, Peter Lonard, PGA TOUR rookie Sunghoon Kang and former Viking Classic winner D.J. Trahan.

"The golf course is very vulnerable and the greens are perfect," Trahan said. "It's playing soft so you can attack and the greens are in awesome shape. They are rolling great. Some guys are making a lot of putts tomorrow."

Another PGA TOUR rookie, Jim Renner, carded a 62, which was the low round on Saturday. It vaulted him nearly 40 spots on the leaderboard, a shot behind the group of players at 17 under.

Tomorrow's weather forecast for Annandale calls for scattered thunderstorms and a high of 85 degrees.

"Hopefully it is a somewhat decent day where everyone can go out and play and get it in," Renner said. "That remains to be seen."

After a birdie on No. 16, Sunghoon Kang looked like he might pull away from the field at Annandale. He had eagled two par 5s, and had another par 5 to play, the 532-yard 18th. But Kang backed up with a bogey on the par-4 17th, and then drove his tee shot into the water on No. 18, leading to a par and a third-round 64. He is tied for the lead at 17 under with Chris Kirk, who is 7 under for his round.

Saturday's final group of Hunter Haas, Peter Lonard and Troy Matteson also failed to capitalize on their good position. The trio is stuck in neutral -- a combined 1 under on a day where players are going really low. Haas and Lonard are currently tied for sixth, while Matteson has fallen to all the way to 28th place.

Jim Renner, who began Round 3 in 45th place, has made eight birdies and an eagle for a bogey-free 62. His rounds of 69-69-62 are currently good for third place.

PGA TOUR rookie Sunghoon Kang has played his first 14 holes 8-under par in Round 3 at the Viking Classic . Kang played Annandale's front nine in 31. He then eagled the 579-yard par-5 11th hole, and added a birdie on the 14th hole to take the lead.

D.J. Trahan, 16 under, and Tommy Gainey and Tom Pernice Jr., 15 under, are also making Saturday moves. Trahan and Gainey are 5 under on their rounds, while Pernice is 4 under.

The first day of play at Annandale Golf Club ended much like the early wave -- with a slew of golfers tied atop the leaderboard. The 7 under mark, reach five times in the early going, was matched once in the afternoon and those six players will share the overnight lead after one round of play at the Viking Classic. Brendon de Jonge, Tim Petrovic, Bobby Gates, Sunghoon Kang, John Mallinger and Peter Lonard each posted opening 65s with Gates being the only player to reach the mark in the afternoon. Scott Piercy briefly reached 8 under, but surrendered four shots before closing with a birdie and a 5-under 67. He’s still one of 47 players at 4 under or better following 18 holes of play. Six past champions of the Viking Classic teed it up Thursday at Annandale Golf Club with Cameron Beckman and D.J. Trahan leading the way after 4-under 68s. Will MacKenzie (69) and Heath Slocum (70) are also in red numbers.

By Zak Kozuchowski, PGATOUR.COM

PGA TOUR rookie Sunghoon Kang should have some extra momentum this week at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.

The 24-year-old South Korean makes his debut at TPC Southwind on the heels of finishing as co-medalist in the U.S. Open sectional qualifying at Tunica National in Memphis, Tenn.

Kang shot rounds of 67-65 to tie with William Cauley, an amateur from Jacksonville. Fla., and claim one of the 10 spots available. There were 78 players in the field.

“Everything felt great,” Kang  told the The Commercial Appeal after the round. “I haven't played as well on TOUR as I would have liked, but I had to miss five weeks in March and April because of military service."

Kang, a native of Jejudo, had to attend boot camp to fulfill South Korea’s service requirement. He is exempt from his country’s two-year military requirement, however, because he won a gold medal at the 2006 Asian Games.

Kang, who was a semifinalist at the 2004 U.S. Amateur Public Links, has missed his last five cuts. He is currently 195th in the FedExCup standings and has earned $64,920 this season.

His best finish was at the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun in February, where he tied for 19th. He also held the first-round lead at the Farmers Insurance Open in January, but finished tied for 51st.