Sung Hyun Kim leads 2R at the PGA Tour’s Fortinet Championship, with Sangmoon Bae in third place.
Seong Hyun Kim returned to the lead in the first tournament of the PGA Tour’s Fall Series and continued his rise to prominence.
Sung Hyun Kim carded six birdies and one bogey for a 5-under 67 in the second round of the PGA Tour’s Fortinet Championship ($8.4 million purse) at Silverado Resort and Spa (par-72, 7,123 yards) in Napa, California, USA, on Saturday.
The South Korean, who shot a 7-under-par the day before to finish in a tie for second place, moved into a share of the lead with Sahith Sigala (USA) with a 12-under-par 132 total.
A rookie on the PGA’s second-tier Conferry Tour for the 2022 season, Kim made his PGA Tour debut in the 2022-2023 season and recorded his only top-10 finish at the Shriners Hospitality Open last October, tied for fourth.
He was 83rd in the FedExCup standings and missed the playoffs, but he kept his hopes alive for his first victory by holding onto the lead in the first event of the fall series.
Kim started the day with birdies on the 10th (par-4) and 12th (par-5) before bogeying the 13th (par-4) and rebounding with back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th.
He held onto pars in the second half, but birdies on the fifth and sixth holes propelled him to the top of the leaderboard.
“I got off to a comfortable start with a birdie at the start, and I had a crisis at the end, but I’m happy with how I handled it,” said Kim. “I’ll continue to play like I did in the first two rounds on the weekend and prepare with a good plan.”
One shot back of the leader is Bae Sang-moon in third place (11-under 133).
Tied for ninth at 5-under after the first round, the South Korean carded seven birdies and a bogey on the day to shave six strokes off his score and move into contention for the title.
Bae won the event in 2014, when it was known as the Price.com Open. With two career wins on the PGA Tour, including this one, he was eager for a chance at a top-10 finish.
“For years, I relied too much on my swing and tried to study and fix what was wrong with my swing, but by focusing on the ball flight and practicing more on impact, my swing has become more natural,” he said, “and I will prepare for the weekend with this feeling.”
In the third round, Kim will play in the Champions Group with Sigala, while Bae is paired with fourth-ranked Eric Cole (USA – 10-under 134) in the group directly in front of him.
Max Homa, who is trying to win the event for the third consecutive year, is tied for sixth (8-under 136) with Justin Thomas (USA).
Lee Kyung-hoon is tied for 11th (7-under 137) and Kang Sung-hoon is tied for 19th (6-under 138) after the second round.
Seung-yeol Noh was unable to reduce his score on the day and missed the cut, 온라인카지노 finishing in a tie for 106th place at 1-over par 145. The cut was 3-under par.