Stalled 'Korean Brothers'... Siwoo Kim Tied 24th, Juhyung Kim Tied 34th

by Lee Seohee

Published 14 Oct.2022 17:04(KST)

[PGA Tour Zozo Championship 2R]
Kim Si-woo, Tied for Lead, 7 Shots Behind Leader Fowler and Putnam
Im Sung-jae and Lee Kyung-hoon Tied for 41st

Siwoo Kim. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seohee Lee] Kim Siwoo (27) jumped 17 spots on the second day of the Zozo Championship.

On the 14th, at Accordia Golf Narashino CC (par 70) in Inzai City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, Kim Siwoo shot a 4-under 66 in the second round of the PGA Tour Zozo Championship, recording five birdies and one bogey. With a total score of 3-under 137, he moved up to a tie for 24th place.

Starting at the 10th hole, Kim Siwoo had a shaky start with a bogey on the 11th hole (par 4). However, he quickly recovered with a birdie on the 12th hole (par 4) and added another birdie on the final 18th hole (par 5), finishing the front nine one stroke under par. In the back nine, he successfully made birdies on the 5th, 7th, and 9th holes, reducing his score by four strokes.

The leaders, Rickie Fowler and Andrew Putnam (both from the United States), stand at 10-under 130, creating a seven-stroke gap. However, many players are clustered between 6th and 13th place, so even reducing the score by one stroke could lead to a significant rise in the rankings.

Rickie Fowler appeared at the top of the PGA Tour leaderboard for the first time in a while. Fowler made seven birdies and played a clean round with no bogeys. Since achieving his fifth PGA Tour win at the WM Phoenix Open in February 2019, Fowler has not won for over three years and eight months, making this tournament a potential signal for his comeback.

Keegan Bradley (USA) is in third place at 9-under 131, and Korean-American John Huh (USA) is in fourth place at 8-under 132. With only a one-stroke difference between the leader and fourth place, a fierce competition for the championship is expected until the very end.

Kim Juhyung (20), who is attempting to win for the second consecutive week following the Shriners Children's Open, dropped five spots from the previous day to a tie for 34th place at 2-under 138. Im Sungjae (24) and Lee Kyunghoon (31) are tied for 41st place at 1-under 139.