Koreans Bio Kim and Taehoon Ok shot blistering second-round scores of eight-under-par 63 and 64 respectively to take the lead at the US$1.5million International Series Korea today.
They moved to 10 under for the Asian Tour event, which is being played at Lotte Skyhill Country Club – on Jeju Island, Korea’s popular holiday destination.
Related: Pavit talks birdies en route opening day honours in Korea
Hanbyeol Kim from Korea fired a 66 and is two shots back, while his compatriot Yoseop Seo returned the same score and is one stroke further adrift.
Bio made nine birdies and dropped just one shot to put himself in the perfect position to win his second Asian Tour event at the weekend, having been triumphant in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open, also in Korea, in May.
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Said the 31 year old: “It is really great having my family here, we are having fun here. It’s a family trip which allows me to get away from golf a bit. I think I was thinking too much the past month, it shows I should do that a little more often.”
Starting on the back nine he quickly found his range with birdies on 11, 13, 15 and 16 before making a bogey on 18: that little hiccup only prompted him to pick up the pace and he made birdies on one, two, four, six and seven.
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“My tee shot was a lot better and also my iron game, and obviously I made putts and at the end of the day I made nine birdies. I made a mistake on 18, my ninth today, but I played solid,” he added.
Ok is looking to win for the first time as a professional and made eight birdies and a solitary bogey. “I struggled a bit on the second half but hung in there,” said Ok.
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“I really want to win on the Asian Tour and take my game forward and help my dream of getting onto the PGA Tour. I’m not good enough yet. Plan is to make a success in Korea first and really challenge myself.”
Korean Taeho Kim (66), India’s Veer Ahlawat (66) American Trevor Simsby (69), South Africans Justin Harding (70) and Ian Snyman (70), and first-round leader Pavit Tangkamolprasert from Thailand (73) are six under for the tournament; while India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar, who won the Mandiri Indonesia Open for a record third time this month, returned a 65 and is five behind the leader, along with five other players.
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Bhullar, whose win in Indonesia took his tally of Asian Tour titles to 10, finished off his round with a stunning eagle on the par-four nine, having started on the back nine.
“It was a nice round, four birdies and a lovely eagle on the last,” said Bhullar.
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“I started off really well actually, yesterday I shot plus one, but I hit the ball really well. I knew that I’ve been hitting the ball well, it’s just a matter of time when the putts started falling.
“Today I started with a birdie and also made birdie on 13 and 18. And the way I finished the last hole, I hit a driver and had about 179 yards with slight downwind and I hit an eight iron and it went in the hole. We saw it but I was not too sure whether it was in the hole or on the other side of the slope. But yeah, that was definitely one of the best swings.”
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Brazilian Adilson Da Silva produced a crack shot of his own, making an ace on the 209-yard par three eighth using a five iron. He carded a 70 and is one over.
