At 9 under par, the co-leaders chase first and third KPGA wins respectively
First-round leader Jeong Yu-jun shoots 81 to miss cut
Park Jun-hong and Bae Yong-jun moved into a share of the lead after the second round of the KPGA Tour Lexus Masters, setting up a two-round chase for the title.
Park carded a bogey-free 4-under-par 67 on Friday at Club72 Country Club's Ocean Course (par 71) in Incheon, posting an eagle and two birdies. The round left Park at 9-under 133 for the tournament, tied atop the leaderboard with Bae. Kang Gyeong-nam sat alone in third at 7-under 135.
Park made his KPGA regular tour debut in 2022 and has yet to claim a victory. A tie for second at last year's Woori Financial Group Championship remains the best result of his career. Starting from the 10th hole, Park picked up two birdies on the front nine to get under par. On the back nine's par-5 fifth hole, Park reached the green in two and drained an eagle putt from about 6 meters.
"I think focusing on my short game is what allowed me to play bogey-free yesterday and today," Park said after the round. "I'll try to be as aggressive as possible on the holes where I can and pick up more birdies and eagles to keep pushing the score down," Park added.
Bae posted a 6-under 65 on Friday, making eight birdies against two bogeys. The round puts Bae in position to claim a third career KPGA title, roughly one year and five months after winning the KPGA Classic in May last year.
"My ball-striking felt solid, and my putting was particularly perfect," Bae said. "Inside 3 meters I could really read the lines clearly, so I played with a lot of confidence." Looking ahead to the remaining rounds, Bae said form in the second half of the season had lifted confidence. "My results haven't been bad in the second half of the year, so my confidence is high. I'll make sure to get good sleep so I don't feel sluggish, and just play my game the way I normally do," Bae said.
Shin Sang-hun, the Genesis points standings leader, shot 1-over 72 on Friday to sit at 3-under 139 through two rounds, tied for 12th — six strokes off the pace.
Shin made three birdies but gave back strokes with two bogeys and a double bogey. The double bogey came on the back nine's par-4 sixth hole, where a tee shot that sailed into the left rough forced Shin to declare an unplayable lie and take a one-stroke penalty.
Jang Yu-bin, third in the Genesis points standings, carded a 1-under 70 with an eagle, two birdies and three bogeys. Jang is tied for seventh at 4-under 138, five strokes behind the leaders.
First-round leader Jeong Yu-jun, who had shot a 6-under 65 on Thursday, collapsed with a 10-over 81 on Friday. Two double bogeys and four bogeys among other miscues left Jeong 16 strokes worse than the day before. At 4-over 146 for the tournament, Jeong missed the cut line of 2-over 144 and was eliminated.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
