Underdog Yang flying high at Kolon Korea Open with four-stroke lead

Jiho Yang continued his dream run in the KOLON Korea Open today shooting a four-under-par 67 for the halfway lead.The Korean, a pre-qualifier, is out in front on 10-under from second-placed Sangmoon Bae, his decorated countryman who won this event in 2008 and 2009.Bae, one of only six players to have triumphed back-to-back in the tournament’s 68-year history, shot his second successive 68 – here at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, a couple of hours drive south of the capital Seoul.Mexico’s Abraham Ancer, one of the event’s star attractions who is also in town for next week’s LIV Golf Korea, fired a brilliant 65 to bounce back into contention after an opening 73. He is six behind the leader in joint third place with Sweden’s Charlie Lindh, who carded a 70.On a beautiful sunny day that replaced yesterday’s rain and grey skies, Yang showed no signs of the pressure involved in leading his country’s premier golfing contests and on one of its toughest courses – with narrow, slanting fairways, treacherously fast greens and brutal pin positions.He led at the start of the day thanks to an opening 65 and remained in control by touring the front nine in three under, with four birdies and one bogey. He dropped shots on 13 and 15 but responded magnificently by making a birdie on 17 and an eagle on the par-five 18th.“I was nervous even before teeing off because of the history and prestige of the KOLON Korea Open,” he said. “But after getting through the first hole well, my swing started to feel more comfortable. From that point on, I just told myself to trust my swing and play, and I think that led to a good result today.”The 41-year-old is a two-time winner on the Korean PGA Tour, in 2022 and 2023 but has only played in a few Asian Tour events since turning professional in 2007.He said: “Up until last year, my wife was on the bag for me. But she’s pregnant right now, so she couldn’t join me this week. But things are clicking well with my caddie. Also, knowing that we have a baby on the way is giving me more responsibility and helps me maintain my composure. I’m trying to be a bit more mature out there, which is definitely helping.”Bae, one of the golden boys of Korean golf a decade ago, is now 39 and looking for his first win since the Korn Ferry Tour in 2018. A serial winner on the global stage he’s triumphed three times on the Asian Tour as well as the Japan Tour and twice on the PGA Tour. He is also a nine champion on the Korean PGA Tour.He started on the back nine quietly making the turn in level before a three-under-par second nine moved him into a strong position heading into the weekend.“I feel like I’m starting to find my rhythm again,” said Bae.“The score wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but I thought the overall game wasn’t too bad. Catching a few flyers and struggling with my iron distances cost me a few shots out there. As we know, Woo Jeong Hills has narrow fairways and demands a lot of patience, which makes it play different from my other recent tournaments. I do have a pretty good idea of my game plan for the weekend, and if I stay patient, I think I can build some good momentum.”Ancer has done well to put himself on the shoulder of the leader having arrived here late on Wednesday unable to play a practice round. A call with his wife last night also worked wonders.Said the Mexican: “Attitude wasn’t great yesterday. I felt like I was lacking a little bit of a good attitude and just made mistakes that normally I don’t make and shouldn’t make. But I actually had a nice talk with my wife last night, and just trying to figure it out.“We were just talking about life, really, and it felt like I was doing everything right, and I was hitting the ball really good, but I wasn’t really seeing the results. We had a nice talk, I won’t go into much detail, but I had another way of kind of thinking about my round today, and it felt really good. Everything fell in place and I putted really well.”Korea’s Chanmin Jung came in with a 71 and is in fifth on three under with compatriot Dongmin Lee, who fired a 70.Minkyu Kim’s bid to claim the event for a third time became more difficult. The Korean, winner here at Woo Jeong Hills in 2022 and 2024, returned a 70 and is two over.Korean Yujun Jung, in second place after an opening 66, struggled today carding an 85 to miss the cut which was three over.

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