"Every Shot a Birdie" Unknown Kim Chan-woo Challenges for His First Career Win

Woosung General Construction 2R Midway Total 12 Under Par 'Surprising Leader'
Cha Kang-ho Tied 2nd, Defending Champion Park Sang-hyun Tied 19th

Kim Chan-woo is teeing off on the 18th hole of the 2nd round at the Woosung General Construction Open. Photo by KPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] It is a surprise rebellion by an 'unknown' player. Kim Chan-woo (23) took the lead with a fiery birdie show.

Kim Chan-woo, on the 12th, at the South Links Yeongam Kyle Phillips Course (Par 72, 7,557 yards) in Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do, recorded 9 birdies and only 1 bogey in the 2nd round of the KPGA Korean Tour Woosung Construction Open (total prize money 700 million won). He shot an 8-under-par 64. With a total score of 12-under-par 132, he jumped from a tie for 10th place the previous day to the top of the leaderboard.

Kim Chan-woo joined the KPGA Tour as a full member in 2017 and has mainly competed on the KPGA Srixon (2nd division) Tour. Last year, he finished runner-up twice in the Srixon Tour's 19 events, and his best Korean Tour result was a tie for 23rd at the 2017 Shinhan Donghae Open.

Kim Chan-woo, who has yet to win on the Korean Tour, settled in a tie for 10th place the previous day by making 4 birdies, and on this day, he truly caught a 'storm of birdies,' rising to the top of the leaderboard.

Steadily maintaining pars, Kim Chan-woo made his first birdie on the 4th hole (par 4), then recorded 4 consecutive birdies from the 6th to the 9th holes. Afterwards, he secured two pairs of consecutive birdies on the 12th to 13th and 15th to 16th holes, soaring straight to the lead.

Kim Chan-woo said, "I showed a slightly unstable performance in the first three holes, but fortunately, I saved par on all of them." He added, "After that, with the consecutive birdies from the 6th to 9th holes, I rode a good momentum and had the best round of my day." Regarding facing Moving Day in the last group, he said, "I'm not nervous yet, but I don't know about tomorrow." He smiled and said, "I tend to get excited if I'm nervous or feeling good, so I think I need to control my emotions as much as possible while playing."

'Korean Hulk' Jung Chan-min (23) reduced his score by 5 strokes for two consecutive days and settled in 4th place (10-under-par 134). He recorded 7 birdies and 2 bogeys.

Cha Kang-ho (23), who was the leader the previous day, lowered his score by 4 strokes but dropped one spot to a tie for 2nd place (11-under-par 133). Last year's winner Park Sang-hyun (39) also recorded 5 birdies and 1 bogey. He rose from a tie for 46th place the previous day to a tie for 19th place (6-under-par 138).