Kim Hits the Front with Finishing Line in Sight
Aichi, Japan: Tom Kim Joo-hyung is 18 holes away from fulfilling his target of striking Asiad gold – and avoiding military service.
Kasugai, Aichi, Japan: Tom Kim Joo-hyung is 18 holes away from fulfilling his target of striking Asiad gold – and avoiding military service.
For the third day in succession, the Korean improved his score by one shot, a five-under-par 65 in round three of the men’s golf tournament at the 20th Asian Games propelling him to the top of the individual leaderboard.
Although the media failed to catch him after his round, Kim, who posted a 67 on day one and a 66 on day two, let his clubs do the talking with five birdies and an eagle-three at the long 13th against two bogeys at the Kasugai Country Club’s East Course in Aichi Prefecture.
With team-mates Kim Seong-hyeon and Mun Do-yeob both returning 69s, Korea also rose to the summit in the team competition in which the best two daily scores are counted in each three-man team.
Yet it promises to be a tense and potentially tetchy final round on Saturday with challengers lying in wait to pounce should PGA Tour member Tom Kim and his colleagues be struck by nerves at the enormity of the prize they’re chasing - the privilege of an exemption from military service that is afforded to Korean Asian Games gold medallists.
In the individual category, just five strokes separate the top-nine. One shot behind Kim on 11-under 199 are Chinese Taipei’s Wang Wei-hsuan and Japan’s Kazuki Higa with China’s Ding Wenyi fourth on 201.
A further shot in arrears are Mun, Japan’s Keita Nakajima and Thai Sadom Kaewkanjana, who soared up the standings thanks to a best-of-the-day seven-under 63, his round containing eight birdies and a solitary blemish at the ninth.
Also in the running on 203 are Chinese Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang and China’s Sampson Zheng Yunhe.
Hong Kong China’s Taichi Kho, winner of the individual gold at the last Asiad in Hangzhou in 2023, is joint 14th on 208.
In the team tournament, it appears to be a four-way battle for the gold, silver and bronze.
Bidding to defend the title they won in Hangzhou when PGA Tour stars Kim Si-woo and Im Sung-jae were part of their line-up, Korea leads the way on 20-under 400. That’s one ahead of Japan and two clear of China and Chinese Taipei.
Still in with an outside chance of a team medal are Thailand (408) and India (409).
Japan’s Higa and Nakajima are relishing the possibilities.
Higa, last year’s Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, said: “I think it’s going to be a very close battle. As a team competition, every single stroke could make the difference. All we can do is go into the final round with a strong determination to win.”
Nakajima, winner of the team and individual gold medals in 2018 while he was still an amateur, added: “It was not good today, but I’m still positive for my game. Japan is still in a good position so I’m looking forward to the final day when there will be so many Japanese fans here.”
Wang, who shared the first-round lead with Higa and the second-round lead with Ding, now finds himself chasing the leader.
He said: “At the Asian Games just the top three can get the medals. No matter what, my focus is just on finishing in the top three. I don’t feel afraid or under pressure.”
Full Men’s Individual Scores
198 – Tom Kim Joo-hyung (Korea) 67-66-65
199 – Kazuki Higa (Japan) 65-67-67; Wang Wei-hsuan (Chinese Taipei) 65-66-68
201 – Ding Wenyi (China) 67-64-70
202 – Sadom Kaewkanjana (Thailand) 70-69-63; Mun Do-yeob (Korea) 66-67-69; Keita Nakajima (Japan) 66-66-70
203 – Chan Shih-chang (Chinese Taipei) 71-67-65; Sampson Zheng Yunhe (China) 66-68-69
204 – Veer Ahlawat (India) 71-68-65
205 – Saptak Talwar (India) 66-68-71
206 – Jin Zihao (China) 70-68-68; Justin De Los Santos (Philippines) 68-67-71
208 – Taichi Kho (Hong Kong China) 69-70-69; Kim Seong-hyeon (Korea) 68-71-69; Matthew Cheung (Hong Kong China) 68-70-70; Subash Tamang (Nepal) 70-67-71; Jonathan Wijono (Indonesia) 68-68-72
209 – Nguyen Anh Minh (Vietnam) 71-71-67; Hiroshi Tai (Singapore) 70-70-69
210 – Poom Saksansin (Thailand) 74-69-67; Emerald Naraajie (Indonesia) 71-69-70
211 – Hung Chien-yao (Chinese Taipei) 72-69-70; Yuvraj Sandhu (India) 71-69-71; Miguel Tabuena (Philippines) 70-70-71
212 – James Leow (Singapore) 72-73-67; Pongsapak ‘Fifa’ Laopakdee (Thailand) 72-67-73; Si Ngai (Macao) 69-69-74
213 – Siddikur Rahman (Bangladesh) 69-71-73
214 – Daniil Sokolov (Qatar) 72-73-69; Taishi Moto (Japan) 74-68-72; Jason Hak Shun-yat (Hong Kong China) 73-68-73
215 – Badal Hossein (Bangladesh) 71-68-76
218 – Jamal Hossein (Bangladesh) 75-69-74; Nguyen Tuan Anh (Vietnam) 69-74-75; Carl Corpus (Philippines) 69-72-77
220 – Nicklaus Chiam (Singapore) 75-75-70
221 – Le Khanh Hung (Vietnam) 77-70-74
223 – Randy Bintang (Indonesia) 73-76-74
224 – Mithun Kaluthanthrige (Sri Lanka) 74-70-80
227 – Sam Mullane (United Arab Emirates) 76-69-82
Full Men’s Team Scores
400 – Korea (133-133-134)
401 – Japan (131-133-137)
402 – Chinese Taipei (136-133-133); China (133-132-137)
408 – Thailand (142-136-130)
409 – India (137-136-136)
414 – Hong Kong China (137-138-139)
416 – Philippines (137-137-142)
418 – Indonesia (139-137-142)
421 – Singapore (142-143-136)
422 – Vietnam (140-141-141)
424 – Bangladesh (140-137-147)
