“I’m not going to think about other players’ results, I’m just going to focus on my game.”
Lee Jung-hwan, 32, is in contention to win the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour’s KB Financial Reeve Championship ($700,000 prize fund), and he emphasised focus as the most necessary strategy for the remainder of the tournament.
Lee shot a six-under-par 66 with seven birdies and one bogey in the second round of the tournament at Blackstone Icheon Golf Club (par-72) in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do, on Saturday.
With the second round still underway at 4.20pm, Lee is tied for the lead with Kim Min-soo (33), who finished first with a seven-under-par total of 137.
Lee, who made his Korean Tour debut in 2010, won two titles at the 2017 Kaido Series Golden V1 Open and the 2018 Golf Zone DYB Education Tour Championship, but otherwise did not perform as well as expected this season. He joined the military after the 2018 season and returned to the tour in 2021, but was unable to add any more wins and finished 40th on the money list for the second consecutive year.
Now in his third season after leaving the military, Lee is enjoying his best season since his return this year. Starting with a tie for 11th at the DB Insurance PromiOpen, which served as his opening event, followed by a tie for 10th at the Korea Championship presented by DP World Tour and a tie for second at the GS Caltex Mae Kyung Open, Lee is fifth on the money list this season. So far, this is his best ranking since his debut.
Lee, who finished the first round tied for the lead, cited fairway accuracy as an important part of his strategy for the title. “The greens were softer than yesterday, so it was easier to play,” he said. “I need to stay in the fairways for the rest of the tournament. The rough is not as long (as it was last year), but you have to be careful because a slight miss can cost you a shot.”
He is also determined to seize the opportunity to win his first title in five years.
“This is my third year back from the military, and I’ve had a lot of problems with my swing. I feel like I’ve been finding my swing again since the training camp and throughout the season,” he said, adding, “I think I can win the title if I focus on my game and not on the performance of other players.”
‘Screen golf powerhouse’ Kim Min-soo dropped another three strokes on the day to end the round tied for the lead with Lee Jung-hwan. Kim, who is스포츠토토 yet to win on the Korean Tour, has 10 victories in screen golf tournaments.
“Unlike screen golf, there are many variables on the course that make it difficult to play, but I find field competitions more fun than screen golf and I’m eager to win,” he said.
‘Korean Monster’ Chung Chan-min, 24, shot a two-under-par 70 on the day to finish on three-under-par 141, while Kim Min-hwi, 31, who plays on the PGA of America and the Conferry Tour, carded an even-par 144. The projected cut is currently four-over par 148.