'Wallclash' Lim Sung-jae aims to defend title...Woori Financial jumps to joint top spot
Lim Sung-jae (26) used his "walleye shot" to defend his title at the Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Tour's Woori Financial Championship (1.5 billion won).
Lim carded six birdies and one bogey for a 5-under 67 on the second day of the tournament at Ferrum Club (par-72) in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do, on Saturday. With a two-day total of 7-under par 137, Lim moved into a tie for first place.
After returning home two days before the start of the tournament and playing the first day jet-lagged, Lim was happy to shave two strokes off his score as he made some uncharacteristic mistakes, including three three-putts. But after another day of jet lag, Lim played a much more focused second round, hunting for birdies.
Starting on the 10th hole (par-4), Lim quickly moved up the leaderboard with four birdies in the first half. He didn't falter in the second round. On No. 2 (par-4), Lim hit his second shot from about 90 yards and placed it right behind the hole for an easy birdie. With perfect distance and direction, the ball almost went into the hole. On the fifth hole (par-5), he hit his third shot from 93 yards and placed it 1.8 meters from the hole for birdie.
After a bogey-free round, Lim made just one mistake on the back nine (par-5). He dropped his third shot to within three meters of the hole, hoping to cut another stroke off his score, but he three-putted for bogey and ended his day.
Despite the bogey on the last hole, he had one more birdie and two fewer bogeys than in the first round.
"I made an unfortunate three-putt bogey on the back nine," said Lim afterward, "but I'm happy with my overall game, especially my mid- to long-distance putts today. My swing was in better condition than yesterday, and it helped that I played early 안전놀이터 in the morning."
After waking up at 4 a.m. the day before and teeing off at 12:40 p.m., Lim woke up at 5 a.m. and teed off at 8 a.m. He was still jet-lagged.
Lim, who drew a crowd of more than 3,000 in the first round, had fans with him today.
"It's always a big boost," Lim said, adding, "It's definitely fun to play in front of so many fans."
Lim, who won his second career KPGA Tour title at this event last year, has moved up the rankings and has given himself a green light to defend his title.
"The pin position in the second round was a little more difficult than the first round," he said, "and I expect it to be more difficult in the third and fourth rounds, but I'm slowly getting my shot feeling back, so I'll play well."
Jang Dong-kyu, Jeong Se-yoon and Lim Ye-taek shot 7-under par 137 to share first place with Lim Sung-jae, while Choi Jin-ho, Ok Tae-hoon, Lee Dong-min, Lee Jung-hwan and Park Eun-shin shot 6-under par 138 to move into a tie for fifth place, one stroke back.
After the second round, 69 players made the cut, including a tie for 61st place at even-par 144, and will begin the third round in earnest.