Korea Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour Genesis target Ham Jung-woo chipped away at the lead on the second day of the LG Signature Players Championship, the final event of the 2023 season.
Ham carded three birdies and two bogeys for a 1-under 70 in the second round of the tournament at Seowon Valley Country Club (Par 71) in Paju, Gyeonggi-do, on Tuesday in chilly conditions.
Ham, who shot a 4-under 138, is tied for third place, two shots behind leader Shin Sang-hoon (6-under 136).
Choi Min-cheol, the overnight leader, dropped one shot to second place (5-under par 137).
Ham Jung-woo, who was unable to complete his first round due to heavy rain on the 9th, dropped another stroke over the remaining three holes to start the second round.
After dropping two strokes in the first half of the second round, Ham sent his tee shot into the rough on the 11th (par-4) and had to settle for a bogey after getting his ball on the green with his third shot.
At the 16th (par-5), he put his third shot 65 centimeters from the hole and made birdie to close the gap. But a 1.8-meter par putt on the 17th (par-3) dropped him a stroke.
After parring the 18th (par-4), Ham finished the tournament needing only a third-place finish or better to claim the grand prize.
The lack of success by other Grand Prize contenders also eased the pressure on Ham.
Second-place finisher Lee Jung-hwan slipped to the bottom of the leaderboard with an 8-over-par 150.
Third-place finisher Park Sang-hyun is tied for 19th with an even-par 142.
Hwang In-chun made a hole-in-one on the 194-yard, par-3 13th hole to win a sport utility vehicle (SUV).
“There was a headwind, so I hit it lightly with a 4-iron, and the ball landed in front of the pin and rolled away,” Hwang said.
With a final round total of 1-under par 141, Hwang is tied for 14th place.
The 61-player tournament will continue through four rounds with no cuts. 토토사이트