Korean Kim hangs on to slim DHL Am golf lead | Inquirer Sports

Korean Kim hangs on to slim DHL Am golf lead

/ 12:10 AM February 12, 2015

MANILA, Philippines— Kim In-jae, the South Korean frontrunner in the first round whose father wants him to be known by his American name Brian Kim, fired nine birdies in a 4-under-par 68 yesterday to keep his one-shot lead over defending champion Rupert Zaragosa halfway through the 20th WWWExpress-DHL RVF Amateur Golf Championship at tree-lined Canlubang North in Laguna.

Kim fired six of those birdies on the front nine against a lone bogey but dropped three straight shots from the 11th and just managed to stay ahead of the pint-sized Zaragosa with a 36-hole 138 aggregate.

Zaragosa, the freshman at Lyceum who won this event in come-from-behind style over Andres Saldaña last year, had a bogey-less 68 to remain in solid contention for a rare repeat.

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“It was a great round except for the bogeys at the back,” said Kim, who is gunning for   a second big tournament win over the same course after ruling the 2012 Canlubang Open.

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But he will have to contend with the talented Zaragosa in the last two rounds, with the latter having the advantage because of his familiarity with the wind-swept course he calls home.

Park Min-ung, the former Philippine Junior champion, was two strokes behind at 140 after a 69 with national pool member Justin Quiban lurking another two shots back with a 69 highlighted by an eagle.

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A Korean also set the pace at the start of the 54-hole women’s division.

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Choi Ve-rim gunned down seven birdies in a 67 for a five-shot lead over a badly outclassed local field led by Bianca Pagdanganan and Felicia Medalla.

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Annika Cedo and Harmie Constantino, both junior standouts, fired 74s and stood seven shots off the pace.

World junior campaigner Raymart Tolentino shot a 69 and caught Korea’s Ji Hyok-chung at 146. Ji fired a 70 even as GJ Katigbak assembled a level 72 for 147 with Kristopher Arevalo shooting a 69 for 148. Musong R. Castillo

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TAGS: DHL, Golf, Kim In-jae, Rupert Zaragosa, Sports

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