Choi Jin-ho's 'Veteran Power'... "Leap to 2-Stroke Lead"

Choi Jin-ho 5 Under Par in Round 2 of Woori Financial Championship
Kim Jin-sung and Yoon Sang-pil Tied for 2nd, Han Seung-soo 4th
Im Sung-jae and Seo Yo-seop Tied for 8th, Ham Jung-woo 10th

Choi Jin-ho's veteran power.

On the 12th, Choi Jin-ho surged to the top with a 5-under-par round in the second round of the Korean Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Korean Tour Woori Financial Championship (total prize money 1.5 billion KRW) held at Ferrum Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do (par 72, 7,232 yards). He leads with a total score of 9-under-par 135. Kim Jin-sung and Yoon Sang-pil are tied for second place at 7-under-par 137, while Lee Jun-seok (Australia) and Kevin Jeon (New Zealand) are tied for fourth at 5-under-par 139.

Choi Jin-ho is teeing off on the 18th hole during the second round of the Woori Financial Championship.
[Photo by KPGA]

Starting from a tie for second place, just one stroke behind, Choi Jin-ho recorded five birdies without any bogeys. He made his first birdie on the 12th hole (par 5) and added 'stepping stone birdies' on the 16th and 18th holes, reducing three strokes in the front nine. In the back nine, he added two more birdies on the 5th hole (par 5) and the 8th hole (par 3), taking control of the top of the leaderboard. Choi Jin-ho moved up to a two-stroke lead, aiming for his ninth career victory, his first in eight months since the Bizplay Electronic Newspaper Open last September.

Choi Jin-ho said, "It was a day without mistakes. I was worried because the pin positions were difficult, but my iron shots were stable, so I was able to achieve a good score." He added, "My current condition is very good. At Ferrum Club, you have to play steadily to avoid mistakes. I will wait until the chance comes." He continued, "My goal for this tournament is also to win. Since my condition is good, I will challenge myself."

Yoon Sang-pil surged with a 7-under-par round to join the race for the championship. Han Seung-soo (USA), who was the leader the previous day, failed to reduce his score and dropped to a tie for fourth place. 'PGA star' Im Sung-jae added 3-under-par to rise to a tie for eighth place at 4-under-par 140. Im Sung-jae said, "The pin positions were difficult. Fortunately, I was able to reduce my score by making five birdies in the back nine, so I am satisfied." He added, "The gallery's strong support gave me great strength. Tomorrow, I will play to keep the gap from widening with the leader." Ham Jung-woo, Kang Kyung-nam, Kim Woo-hyun, and Byun Jin-jae are tied for tenth place at 3-under-par 141.