Kim leads at 12 under par despite grueling schedule after Presidents Cup

South Korea also jumps to first in team standings, one stroke ahead of Japan

Kim Ju-hyung competes in the men's golf event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Kasugai Country Club's East Course in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. [Yonhap]
Kim Ju-hyung competes in the men's golf event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Kasugai Country Club's East Course in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. [Yonhap]

Kim Ju-hyung moved into sole possession of the lead after the third round of men's golf at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, putting himself in strong position to claim a gold medal.

Kim carded a 5-under-par 65 on Friday at the East Course of Kasugai Country Club in Aichi Prefecture, Japan — a round that featured one eagle, five birdies and two bogeys on the par-70 layout.

His three-round total of 12-under-par 198 put him one stroke clear of Japan's Higa Kazuki and Taiwan's Wang Wei-hsuan, both at 11-under 199.

Kim had flown directly to Japan after competing in the Presidents Cup in the United States last week, carrying the fatigue of jet lag and sleep deprivation into the tournament. He opened with a 3-under-par round to share seventh place, then shaved four more strokes in the second round to reach 7-under 133 and move into a share of fifth.

In Friday's third round, he trimmed another five strokes to surge to the top of the leaderboard. He picked up his first birdie at the par-4 second hole, dropped a bogey at the par-4 sixth, then closed the front nine at 1-under with a birdie at the par-5 eighth.

The back nine proved decisive. Kim birdied the par-4 10th and 11th holes consecutively before dropping a bogey at the par-3 12th, then immediately responded with a shot eagle at the par-5 13th. He added another birdie at the par-4 16th and parred the remaining holes to finish the round in sole lead.

Moon Do-yeop shot a 1-under 69 — five birdies against four bogeys — to sit at 8-under 202 in a share of fifth. Kim Sung-hyun also carded a 1-under 69, with six birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey, leaving him at 2-under 208 in a share of 14th.

South Korea also climbed from third to sole first in the men's team standings on Thursday. The team competition is decided by combining the two best individual scores from each country per round.

South Korea leads with a combined 20-under-par 400, one stroke ahead of Japan at 19-under 401. China and Taiwan are tied for third at 18-under 402.

Kim will chase the individual gold medal in Saturday's final round, while South Korea looks to complete a sweep of both the individual and team titles.


yjc@heraldcorp.com