2007 SK Telecom Open - Round 2: Bae holds on to lead as locals dominate

Bae, who carded a solid 64 in the opening day, is enjoying a good run of form the past one week as he carded four birdies against a lone bogey at the BA Vista Country Club.

With an 11-under-par 133 total, Bae holds on to a one stroke lead over compatriot Kang Sung-hoon who enjoyed a blemish free 68. Three strokes off the pace was Kim Hyung-tae who shot a 71 and Choi Hyuk-jae who leaped up the ranks after a 65 in the US$600,000 event.

Australia’s Unho Park, who is currently ranked 25th on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit, shot a 70 and was in lone fifth position after a 137 total.

England’s Yasin Ali was pleased to have tackled the windy conditions at BA Vista Country Club when he shot a 71 to lie in joint sixth place alongside Australia’s Aaron Baddeley who improved with a 67 for a 138 total. Others tied at sixth place were local players Young Nam and Kang Kyung-nam who shot matching 69s while Kim Wi-joong and Jung Ji-ho carded 71s respectively. American David Oh was also in tied sixth position after a 68.

Starting on the 10th tee, Bae, who finished fourth in a domestic event on Sunday, carried his momentum into this week when he fired a birdie on the 11th and 14th holes. Two more birdies against a lone bogey on the way home placed him in prime position heading into the weekend.

“My iron play has been superb and I’m enjoying myself out there. My form is even better than last week. Even though it was windy today, I still managed to overcome the challenges and finish the day on top,” said Bae, who has his mother Si Ok-hee on the bag.

“I know there are two rounds to go but I am confident with my game right now. I know Kang is a very good player and I will be wary of him over the weekend. I will adopt an aggressive approach starting tomorrow in the hopes of pulling away from Kang and solidifying my position as the leader,” he added. Bae turned professional in 2004 and enjoyed his maiden win on the domestic circuit last year. This is the first time Bae has made the cut at the SK Telecom Open after his last two appearances in 2005 and 2006.

Kang, 19, the 2005 Australian Amateur Stroke Play champion, remained steady firing a bogey free 68 as he aims to be on target over the weekend.

“I am pleased with my position but not too happy with my driving. I made mistakes in the first few holes with wayward drives but thanks to my solid iron play, I managed to keep it steady,” said Kang, who won the Asian Games team gold medal in Doha last December.

Australia’s Unho Park enjoyed a consistent performance with four birdies after 12th holes but he struck two bogeys on the 13th and 14th holes and ended the day with a 70.

“I was four under after 12 holes but the 13th and 14th holes put a stop to the birdies today. But overall, I am happy with my position and hopefully I am able to end this week on a strong note,” said Park.

After having tackled the windy conditions in the second round, Yasin, playing in his second season on the Asian Tour, was satisfied with his run firing three birdies against two bogeys.

“It was a good day for me. It was blowing so much out there. I hope to keep hitting those fairways and greens which is the key here for a solid score,” said Yasin.

Baddeley, with two US PGA Tour titles under his belt, made his move up the leaderboard when he shot five birdies as he hopes to continue his rise to the top.

“I played really well today as I hit a lot of fairways and greens. I felt better and my swing felt better too. It’s good as I’m starting to play well now. Bae is a good player being 11 under after two days and I will have to improve my game to stay in contention,” said Baddeley, who is unfazed by the local charge at the top of the pack.

“I think when a player plays at home, it can go both ways. At times they can feel the pressure, at times it encourages them. I feel that it’s been fun and challenging coming here playing this week. If I play the way I did today, I definitely have a good chance to be right up there on Sunday,” he added.

Despite missing the cut after a 77, Kim Young-bae walked away with a brand new car, a Chevrolet New Sebring, when he shot a hole-in-one at the par three 200 yards 16th hole using a five iron.

Leading second round scores (click here for full leaderboard):

133 - Bae Sang-moon (KOR) 64-69

134 - Kang Sung-hoon (KOR) 66-68

136 - Kim Hyung-tae (KOR) 65-71, Choi Hyuk-jae (KOR) 71-65

137 - Unho Park (AUS) 67-70

138 - Yasin Ali (ENG) 67-71, Jung Ji-ho (KOR) 67-71, Kim Wi-joong (KOR) 67-71

Kang Kyung-nam (KOR) 69-69, Young Nam (KOR) 69-69, David Oh (USA) 70-68

Aaron Baddeley (AUS) 71-67

139 - Panuwat Muenlek (THA) 66-73, Simon Dunn (SCO) 69-70, Bryan Saltus (USA) 70-69, Kong John-joon (KOR) 70-69, S K Ho (KOR) 71-68

140 - Choi Sang-ho (KOR) 67-73, Simon Yates (SCO) 68-72, Angelo Que (PHI) 68-72, Kim Hyung-sung (KOR) 69-71, Park Jun-won (KOR) 70-70, Park No-seok (KOR) 70-70, Lee Seung-jo (KOR) 71-69, Noh Seung-yul [A] (KOR) 71-69, Han Min-kyu (KOR) 72-68, Park Boo-won (KOR) 73-67

May 25, 2007

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