KIM'S LEAD SLASHED TO ONE SHOT AT UKRAINE CHALLENGE

REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONSD

The inaugural Kharkov Superior Cup is set for an enthralling final 

day after Sihwan Kim’s six shot second round lead was chopped to 

just one on moving day, with in-form Dutchman Daan Huizing and 

England’s Lloyd Kennedy in close pursuit of the Korean.

In much more difficult conditions at the Superior Hotel and Spa Resort, Kim suffered three double-bogeys but battled bravely to card a three over par 75 and he slipped back to 11 under par for the tournament.

That left the door open for potential contenders to enter the fray and one of those to duly oblige was 22 year old Huizing, one the Challenge Tour’s hottest young prospects, whose astounding record since his professional debut on the tour in June reads; seven appearances, one win, four more top fives and two more top 20 finishes.

The winner of the Northern Ireland Open Challenge Presented by Clannah & XJET two weeks ago, who as an amateur last year won the St Andrews Links Trophy and Lytham Trophy by 11 shots and 14 shots respectively, carded the joint best round of the day with a five under par 67.

With Huizing and another player currently on a red-hot run of form in the shape of Kennedy close behind, Kim knows he is in for a real battle in what is set to be an enthralling finale.

“I hit it fine early on today but every putt I hit was burning the edges of the cup,” said the 24 year old Seoul native. “On the back nine at the 12^th I made a double and then two more, but I just toughed it out and got birdie on 17 so that helped me out a bit.

“I’ve got to just keep it loose tomorrow and make a couple more putts. Hopefully I get a nice start to the final round and keep that going throughout the round. I just have to work on my game a little bit now, get a good night’s sleep and hopefully get my routine going tomorrow.”

Huizing – whose remarkable debut season on the Challenge Tour is drawing comparisons to that of Martin Kaymer in 2006, when the German won twice with four more top fives and two top 20s in eight appearances – was delighted to have moved into contention for a second title in three weeks as he looks forward to playing in the final group once again.

“I went into it today pretty relaxed and I had to knock myself a few times just to get sharp,” said the former World Amateur Number Three. “Then I started playing with better concentration and, while in between the shots I was keeping it relaxed, I was focussed over the shots.

“I will probably be a little more aggressive tomorrow. All week, I have been really relaxed and not getting bothered about my position on the leaderboard and then suddenly you’re right up there. That is just confirmation that my game is good so I just need to do the same tomorrow.”

Kennedy signed for a two under par 70 to join Huizing in tied second place as he vies for a maiden Challenge Tour title. Andrea Pavan (68) was lurking just two shots back on nine under par as the Italian chases a third victory of the season which would automatically seal his place on The European Tour and he was joined in tied fourth place by Frenchman Victor Riu (70) and Switzerland’s Damian Ulrich (69).

 

THIRD ROUND TOTALS

Par 216 (3x72)

205 S Kim (SKor) 66 64 75,

206 D Huizing (Ned) 70 69 67, L Kennedy  (Eng) 70 66 70,

207 D Ulrich (Sui) 71 67 69, V Riu  (Fra) 64 73 70, A Pavan (Ita) 70 69 68,

208 A Domingo (Esp) 69 69 70, M Haastrup  (Den) 68 69 71, R Davies (Wal) 71 67 70, J Barnes (Eng) 71 68 69, D Brooks (Eng) 73 68 67,

209 C Russo (Fra) 68 70 71, E Dubois (Fra) 71 71 67, A Otaegui  (Esp) 70 72 67,

210 S Tiley (Eng) 68 69 73, P Figueiredo  (Por) 72 71 67, N Elvira  (Esp) 70 71 69, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 68 74 68,

211 A McArthur  (Sco) 72 72 67, J Elson  (Eng) 72 68 71, L Bjerregaard  (Den) 67 70 74,

212 M Crespi  (Ita) 68 74 70, A Rota (Ita) 73 70 69, J Dantorp (Swe) 72 70 70, P Archer (Eng) 67 75 70, B Ritthammer (Ger) 69 68 75,

213 J Lando Casanova  (Fra) 69 71 73, B An (Kor) 69 69 75, J Glennemo (Swe) 69 72 72, J Fahrbring (Swe) 70 71 72,

214 T Pulkkanen  (Fin) 74 71 69, J Lima  (Por) 74 67 73, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 72 72 70, T Murray (Eng) 71 72 71,

215 C Aguilar  (Esp) 70 71 74, D Stewart (Sco) 68 75 72, G Stal  (Fra) 71 71 73, B Paolini (USA) 77 67 71,

216 S Manley (Wal) 69 76 71, C Ford (Eng) 71 70 75, A Johnston (Eng) 76 66 74, M Glauert (Ger) 72 72 72, L Claverie (Esp) 75 70 71, D Gaunt (Aus) 74 70 72, P Maddy (Eng) 72 73 71, J Guerrier  (Fra) 72 71 73, J Huldahl (Den) 72 70 74,

217 A Velasco (Esp) 74 69 74, T Nørret (Den) 71 72 74, M Brier (Aut) 73 71 73, A Bernadet  (Fra) 71 72 74, N Lemke (Swe) 71 73 73,

218 J Carlsson (Swe) 74 71 73, G Murray  (Sco) 72 70 76,

219 S Arnold  (Aus) 77 65 77, M Haines  (Eng) 73 69 77, G Shaw (Nir) 71 74 74,

220 D Vancsik (Arg) 70 75 75,

222 B Chapellan (Fra) 74 70 78,

225 F De Vries  (Ned) 70 73 82,

** J Abbott (Eng) 70 74 WD,

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

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LOCAL HERO LUITEN LEADS KLM OPEN BY ONE STROKE

REPORT FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Home hero Joost Luiten defied strong winds and torrential rain to establish a one shot lead heading into the final day of the KLM Open.

Luiten, who is bidding to become the first Dutchman to win his national Open for a decade, posted a superb round of 66 at Kennemer Golf and Country Club to climb to ten under par.

He is currently one stroke ahead of Spanish veteran Miguel Angel Jiménez, who battled hard to sign for a level par round of 70, whilst Irishman Damien McGrane and Frenchman Julien Quesne share third place on eight under par after carding respective rounds of 67 and 70.

Despite dropping a shot at the first hole, Luiten rewarded the home fans who had braved the treacherous conditions in Zandvoort.

The two-time European Tour champion chipped in twice for birdie – first on the sixth, and later on the 16th hole – and also sunk a monster putt on the 17th green for another birdie to delight the large galleries.

He said: “It was tough, today was all about survival, especially the first nine holes when it was raining and very windy. The rain was coming in sideways at one point, and the cross winds were swirling. At that point I thought par was going to be a good score, if you’d offered me a 70 then I would have signed up. So to shoot a 66 was very, very pleasing. 

“I’m just trying to enjoy it. It’s great to see so many people out there supporting me, even though it’s windy and wet. It’s nice to know everyone’s behind me, and I just want to play as well as I can for them. It would be a dream come true to win this tournament, but there’s a long way to go yet.”

Jiménez, the oldest winner in European Tour history after his victory in Hong Kong last year aged 48 and 318 days, carded 16 pars, one birdie and one bogey in his level par round, but fellow overnight leader and compatriot Pablo Larrazábal endured a difficult day, opening with a triple bogey seven en route to carding a round of 77.

McGrane, whose sole European Tour title to date in the 2008 Volvo China Open came in similar conditions, was the only player to keep the bogeys off his card.

With high winds again predicted for Sunday’s closing round, the winner could be decided in a battle of attrition.

THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 210 (3x70)

200 J Luiten (Ned) 69 65 66,

 201 M Jiménez (Esp) 64 67 70,

 202 D McGrane (Irl) 65 70 67, J Quesne  (Fra) 67 65 70,

 203 O Fisher  (Eng) 67 65 71, S Dyson  (Eng) 69 63 71,

 204 H Otto (RSA) 68 67 69, R Allenby (Aus) 65 71 68,

 205 R Fisher (Eng) 69 68 68, S Lowry  (Irl) 69 68 68, G Havret  (Fra) 67 70 68,

 206 M Carlsson  (Swe) 68 69 69, R Bland (Eng) 67 71 68, M Ilonen  (Fin) 71 66 69, O Floren  (Swe) 66 73 67, D Fichardt (RSA) 70 68 68, W Ashun (Chn) 69 68 69,

 207 A Quiros  (Esp) 72 64 71, E Grillo (Arg) 72 66 69, P Waring  (Eng) 70 68 69, P Casey  (Eng) 68 71 68, M Nixon (Eng) 69 65 73, D Drysdale (Sco) 69 64 74, S Kjeldsen (Den) 68 67 72, A Snobeck  (Fra) 68 66 73, D Horsey (Eng) 71 66 70, B Koepka  (USA) 70 66 71,

 208 E Kofstad (Nor) 69 66 73, S Wakefield (Eng) 68 67 73, P Larrazábal (Esp) 65 66 77, P McGinley (Irl) 68 67 73, M Jonzon (Swe) 70 65 73, R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 69 67 72,

 209 W Besseling  (Ned) 67 71 71, T Pieters  (Bel) 68 70 71, R Green (Aus) 70 66 73, F Zanotti (Par) 65 73 71, M Foster (Eng) 68 70 71, R Karlberg  (Swe) 70 67 72, B Åkesson (Swe) 71 67 71, C Paisley  (Eng) 68 68 73, L Jensen (Den) 72 66 71, J Jin (Kor) 67 71 71, D Howell (Eng) 65 70 74,

 210 A Marshall (Eng) 69 67 74, M Fraser (Aus) 67 71 72, A Levy (Fra) 73 65 72, G Orr (Sco) 65 70 75, T Aiken (RSA) 72 64 74, P Meesawat  (Tha) 67 70 73, F Aguilar (Chi) 69 68 73, E De La Riva  (Esp) 68 71 71,

 211 R Finch  (Eng) 69 69 73, S Henry  (Sco) 69 69 73, P Hedblom (Swe) 71 66 74, S Jamieson  (Sco) 69 68 74, R Caron (am) (Ned) 73 65 73,

 212 T Fleetwood  (Eng) 70 68 74, M Korhonen (Fin) 71 67 74, K Phelan (Irl) 71 68 73, M Manassero (Ita) 70 68 74,

 213 J Olazábal (Esp) 69 68 76, D Higgins (Irl) 72 67 74, S Thornton (Irl) 70 68 75, J Lagergren (Swe) 73 65 75, A Cañizares  (Esp) 69 68 76, C Cévaër (Fra) 70 69 74, M Baldwin (Eng) 69 70 74, R Ramsay  (Sco) 70 68 75, A Tadini (Ita) 72 67 74, J Campillo (Esp) 71 63 79,

 214 R Coles (Eng) 69 70 75,

 215 S Benson (Eng) 69 70 76, L Gagli  (Ita) 70 69 76,

 216 R Santos  (Por) 70 69 77, M Delpodio  (Ita) 68 71 77, R Rock (Eng) 69 69 78,

 217 C Lloyd (Eng) 69 69 79
 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

BROWN LEADS BY ONE IN RUSSIAN SENIORS' OPEN

SENIOR TOUR REPORT FROM 
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

A superb display of scrambling golf kept England’s Simon P Brown bogey-free through 36 holes and one shot clear of the field as he attempts to become the latest first-time Senior Tour winner at the Russian Open Golf Championship (Senior).

The 50 year old got up and down for par four holes in a row from the ninth while three birdies coming in saw the Qualifying School graduate claim a narrow lead over Spain’s Miguel Angel Martin (69) and Dane Steen Tinning (68).

 

But lurking one shot further back on eight under par following an excellent 67 is Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie, this week looking to capture a second victory in successive starts after his triumph at Woburn two weeks ago.

 

On a damp, autumnal day at Moscow Country Club, rookie Brown started solidly enough with six pars and a birdie in his first seven holes before the fun started around the turn.

 

Four consecutive missed greens from the ninth forced Germany-based Brown to show a deft short game but, having recovered successfully at each to save par, he found birdies at the 13th, 15th and 17th holes to remain flawless through 36 and top of the pile with one round to come.

 

“That run really kept the momentum going,” said Brown, who finished runner-up at the Qualifying School in January to seize his 2013 card. “I was playing nicely but just got a little off on my approaches in that period so to keep it together was pleasing.

 

“And then I went down the next hole (the 13th) and made birdie so that kicked me on and I managed to finish strong.

 

Out of the ten events thus far on the 2013 Senior Tour schedule, six have been claimed by first-time winners, while three of the last four have been won by rookies in Tinning (Berenberg Masters), Santiago Luna (SSE Scottish Senior Open) and Montgomerie (Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters), but Brown said he was not going to overthink his chances of joining that club with one round to come.

 

“I can’t control what others do but I’ll just stick to my own game,” he continued. “I’m not a bomber, I plot my way around so I’ll just try to do the same and not get too overexcited.”

 

Martin had held a share of first place overnight  and he quickly moved into a three-shot lead earlier on Saturday thanks to a front nine of 32 which included a hat-trick of gains from the sixth.

 

But after overshooting the green at the short 11th, a mistake which led to a double bogey five, numerous birdie putts refused to drop except at the par five 17th and the Madrid man had to settle for a 69 and share of second place.

 

He said: “I actually played much better than yesterday. There was only the one hole where I just picked the wrong club and that was my only mistake of the day.

 

“I was putting for birdie on every hole after that and only managed to make one of them. But hopefully I can play like that tomorrow but with some better putting and we’ll see where that gets us.”

 

It was Groundhog Day for Tinning, meanwhile, as for the second round running he struggled at the start before firing five birdies in a back nine 31 to get within one of the lead.

 

Despite admitting to somewhat of a psychological battle with himself on Saturday, the man renowned for his ironman stamina remained strong.

 

“I’m a person who thinks a lot,” he said. “And today not all of those thoughts were constructive so I had to fight that and try to remain positive.

 

“I was just thinking, ‘shoot below par on the back nine’ and to end up with a 68, well, that’s Christmas!”

 

There were six birdies and just the one dropped shot for Montgomerie, to move seven places up the leaderboard on Moving Day into a share of fourth place as he looks to become the first Senior Tour rookie to win twice since Boonchu Ruangkit in 2010.

 

He reflected: “I’m in contention and that’s what I wanted, to give myself another chance. I didn’t play all that well today, and there is lots of room for improvement, but in a way it is quite satisfying to not play my best golf yet still find a 67 to be in with a shot again.”

 

Scores after round  2:

 

134 S Brown (Eng) 66 68,

 135 M Martin (Esp) 66 69, S Tinning (Den) 67 68,

 136 C Montgomerie  (Sco) 69 67,

 137 B Lane (Eng) 68 69, P Wesselingh (Eng) 69 68,

 138 M Harwood (Aus) 67 71, C Mason (Eng) 70 68, A Oldcorn (Sco) 70 68,

 139 G Brand Jnr (Sco) 71 68, T Thelen (USA) 71 68, B Ruangkit (Tha) 68 71, G Wolstenholme (Eng) 70 69,

 140 P Golding (Eng) 73 67, D Russell (Eng) 72 68, M Kuramoto (Jpn) 69 71, P Fowler (Aus) 68 72, G Manson (Aut) 73 67,

 141 P Eales (Eng) 70 71, G Turner (Nzl) 71 70, J Laforce (Can) 72 69, A Franco (Par) 69 72,

 142 A Sherborne (Eng) 71 71, J Bruner (USA) 70 72, G Ryall (Eng) 71 71, I Woosnam (Wal) 72 70, C Williams (RSA) 69 73, B Cameron (Eng) 71 71, W Grant (Eng) 71 71, J Gould (Eng) 72 70,

 143 B Longmuir (Sco) 68 75, R Drummond (Sco) 74 69,

 144 J Carriles (Esp) 74 70, R Gibson (Can) 68 76, P Linhart (Esp) 73 71, H Buhrmann (RSA) 72 72, D O'Sullivan (Irl) 72 72, R Thompson (USA) 72 72, K Tomori (Jpn) 73 71, S Bennett (Eng) 70 74,

 145 S McAllister (Sco) 72 73, M McLean (Eng) 68 77, K Spurgeon (Eng) 76 69, T Price (Aus) 72 73, M Farry (Fra) 78 67,

 146 M Cunning (USA) 74 72, M Belsham (Eng) 71 75, N Job (Eng) 72 74,

 147 G Norquist (USA) 75 72,

 148 J Quiros (Esp) 75 73, J Harrison (Eng) 74 74, P Walton (Irl) 76 72, T Elliott (Aus) 74 74,

 149 S Cipa (Eng) 76 73, D Hospital (Esp) 73 76, P Jonas (Can) 71 78,

 150 L Carbonetti (Arg) 73 77, J Lindberg  (Swe) 79 71, P Mitchell (Eng) 77 73, S Torrance (Sco) 79 71,

 151 R Sabarros (Fra) 78 73, A Fernandez (Chi) 78 73, G Brand (Eng) 75 76,

 152 B Lincoln (RSA) 77 75, S Van Vuuren (RSA) 76 76, N Ratcliffe (Aus) 76 76,

 153 G Ralph (Eng) 77 76,

 157 D Durnian (Eng) 80 77, G Banister (Aus) 81 76,

 158 T Charnley (Eng) 79 79,

 160 D James (Sco) 81 79,

 175 I Zatravkin (Rus) 90 85,

 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

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NORTH DISTRICT SENIORS CHAMPIONSHIP AT NAIRN DUNBAR GC

SCRATCH

CSS 71

Winner –  Willie Donnelly (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) 69 Macallan Trophy + Macallan     

Second - Bryce Milne (Elgin) 70

Third -   Douglas Brodie  (Nairn Dunbar) 72                  

Cat A (55 to 64) 

Scratch –        Laurie Chancellor      Inverness        74 Bih           

Hcp 1^st –         Paul Jackson Nairn Dunbar 69 Bih                                                                 

Hcp 2^nd –        Ron Cameron  Nairn Dunbar            69                  

Hcp 3^rd –         Derek Lamb   Nairn Dunbar 70                    

Cat B (65 to 70) 

Scratch –        David Corstorphine   Nairn Dunbar 73                    

Hcp 1^st –         Gordon Scott             Inverness        66                     

Hcp 2^nd –         Les Dickson  Boat of Garten          70 Bih 

Hcp 3^rd-           Alan Boxx       Boat of Garten          70 

                    

Cat C (71 +)

Scratch –        Charles Stewart         Moray             83 Bl3            

Hcp 1^st –         David Fraser              Nairn Dunbar71                     

Hcp 2^nd -         Ian Brodie                 Nairn               73                    

Hcp 3^rd-           William Main              Nairn Dunbar74 Bih             

                                                                                   

MARTIN AND BROWN SHARE SENIOR RUSSIAN OPEN LEAD IN MOSCOW

SENIOR TOUR REPORT
FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

 

In-form Spaniard Miguel Angel Martin recovered from a three-putt at the first hole to post a superb six under par 66 for a share of the Russian Open Golf Championship (Senior) lead with 2013 rookie Simon P Brown.

The 51 year old Madrid native fired seven birdies during the first round at Moscow Country Club to reach the top alongside Brown, who qualified for the 2013 European Senior Tour by virtue of a runner-up finish at the Qualifying School earlier this year.

Australia’s Mike Harwood was one shot further back after an excellent 67 which was matched by Denmark’s Steen Tinning, while England’s Barry Lane was amongst a six-man group on four under par with former Senior Tour Number Ones Peter Fowler and Boonchu Ruangkit.

 

With the European Senior Tour returning to Russia for just the second time, and first since 2008, there was some good scoring on Friday on the Robert Trent Jones Jnr-designed layout, the first 18-hole course in the country when it was opened in 1994, and none more so than that of Martin.

 

While fine early conditions later gave way to rain, Martin took advantage of a still, bright, yet chilly morning on the outskirts of Moscow as the three-time European Tour winner’s opening bogey proved the only low-point of a good day’s work.

 

The Spaniard found four birdies on the front nine while a further three in succession from the 15th, including two putts of 30 feet or more, fired him top.

 

“My driving was not very good but my irons and putting were excellent,” said Martin, who has finished inside the top seven three times in his last four starts on the Senior Tour, most recently notching a tied runner-up spot two weeks ago in Woburn.

 

“But my misses were good misses; I avoided the trees, hit the semi-rough and was still able to attack the greens.

 

“The last month I have played very well and I think a change in shaft has helped me a lot. You only need to look at the card and see I have three twos on the par threes so my irons are very good.”

 

Brown was bogey free in his 66 at a course which has previously yielded the Englishman a good finish all of 17 years ago – a tied fourth place at the 1996 Russian Open, then part of the Challenge Tour schedule.

 

Surrey-raised Brown, the head professional at Golf Club Rhein-Sieg in Bonn, Germany, since 1984, finished behind David James in the Senior Tour Qualifying School final in February to capture his card for this year and after a season-best finish of tied 15th in his adopted homeland last week the 50 year old again looked in terrific touch at Moscow Country Club.

 

Brown found 16 greens in regulation on Friday – and chipped in at one those he did miss at the short 16th –  for a share of the lead and afterwards spoke of his golfing stimulus.

 

“If you look at [2012 Rookie of the Year] Paul Wesselingh alone, he is an enormous inspiration,” said Brown, who, if he wins this week, would become the fourth rookie to triumph in 2013 following Tinning, Spain’s Santiago Luna and Scot Colin Montgomerie.

“I’m still a club professional, still working in Germany, so to see what the likes of Paul and the other first-time winners this year have done is hugely encouraging.”

 

Elsewhere, Montgomerie, who won his first Senior Tour event in just in third start at Woburn two weeks ago, opened up with a three under par 69 for a share of 11th place.

 

SCOREBOARD

Par 72

 

66 M Martin (Esp) , S Brown (Eng) 

67 M Harwood (Aus) , S Tinning (Den) 

68 R Gibson (Can) , M McLean (Eng) , B Longmuir (Sco) , B Ruangkit (Tha) , B Lane (Eng) , P Fowler (Aus) 

 69 M Kuramoto (Jpn) , A Franco (Par) , C Williams (RSA) , C Montgomerie  (Sco) , P Wesselingh (Eng) ,

 70 P Eales (Eng) , A Oldcorn (Sco) , J Bruner (USA) , C Mason (Eng) , S Bennett (Eng) , G Wolstenholme (Eng) ,

 71 T Thelen (USA) , M Belsham (Eng) , W Grant (Eng) , G Brand Jnr (Sco) , G Ryall (Eng) , G Turner (Nzl) , A Sherborne (Eng) , P Jonas (Can) , B Cameron (Eng) ,

 72 D O'Sullivan (Irl) , I Woosnam (Wal) , N Job (Eng) , H Buhrmann (RSA) , R Thompson (USA) , J Gould (Eng) , J Laforce (Can) , S McAllister (Sco) , D Russell (Eng) , T Price (Aus) ,

 73 P Golding (Eng) , K Tomori (Jpn) , L Carbonetti (Arg) , D Hospital (Esp) , P Linhart (Esp) , G Manson (Aut) ,

 74 M Cunning (USA) , J Carriles (Esp) , T Elliott (Aus) , R Drummond (Sco) , J Harrison (Eng) ,

 75 J Quiros (Esp) , G Brand (Eng) , G Norquist (USA) ,

 76 S Van Vuuren (RSA) , N Ratcliffe (Aus) , K Spurgeon (Eng) , S Cipa (Eng) , P Walton (Irl) ,

 77 B Lincoln (RSA) , G Ralph (Eng) , P Mitchell (Eng) ,

 78 M Farry (Fra) , R Sabarros (Fra) , A Fernandez (Chi) ,

 79 J Lindberg  (Swe) , T Charnley (Eng) , S Torrance (Sco) ,

 80 D Durnian (Eng) ,

 81 D James (Sco) , G Banister (Aus) ,

 90 I Zatravkin (Rus) ,

 

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

SOUTH KOREAN KIM GOES SIX SHOTS CLEAR IN UKRAINE CHALLENGE

CHALLENGE TOUR REPORT FROM

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Sihwan Kim carded an ace to surge into a six shot lead after the 

second day of the inaugural Kharkov Superior Cup as the South 

Korean equalled the course record at Superior Golf and Spa Resort 

in the Ukraine with a stunning 64.

That eight under par round came courtesy of eight birdies and a 

hole in one, and moved the 24 year old to the summit on 14 under 

par, with Lloyd Kennedy the closest threat on eight under par after 

the Englishman signed for a six under second round of 66.

Kim’s round could not have got off to a more perfect start as he 

birdied the par four tenth, his first, before holing out with a seven iron tee shot from 164 yards at the 11^th. Incredibly, his was the 

second ace in as many groups as Denmark’s Mark F Haastrup had 

carded a hole-in-one in the group immediately ahead.

Indeed, Kim revealed that he had witnessed Haastrup’s shot from the tenth green before repeating the feat minutes later.

“It was crazy because right after Mark hit the shot, in the group ahead, I was wondering where the pin was so I looked back and I saw the ball jump in,” said the Seoul native, who was two shots off the lead after the opening round.

“I was the first one to realise it went in the hole. Then we just got on the tee and I just hit my shot and it went in. It was crazy. He pretty much gave me the line! He put a good image in my head, definitely.

“There were no celebrations for a while because we weren’t completely sure but when we got up to the green, there were a few high fives alright.

“I hit a lot of good shots today and obviously the hole in one helped me to get things going. I putted better today but actually I hit the ball better on the first day.

“I didn’t make too many mistakes and made some good saves so it was all good. I'm trying not to think too much right now because I have been trying to play too well recently which resulted in not great rounds. I'm trying to do too much.

“But I’ll try to stay out there and just let go and play. I think that’s why it’s gone so well in the last few days.”

The other hole in one hero, Haastrup, was one shot behind Kennedy and seven shots off the lead on seven under par after a three under 69. He was joined in tied third by his compatriot Lucas Bjerregaard (70), Englishman Steve Tiley (69), Germany’s Bernd Ritthammer (68) and first round leader Victor Riu (73) of France.

SECOND-ROUND TOTALS

Par 144 (2x72)

   1     Sihwan    KIM    KOR     66     64            130
  2     Lloyd    KENNEDY     ENG     70     66            136
  3     Victor    RIU     FRA     64     73            137
       Mark F    HAASTRUP     DEN     68     69            137
       Lucas    BJERREGAARD     DEN     67     70            137
       Steven    TILEY    ENG     68     69            137
       Bernd    RITTHAMMER    GER     69     68            137
  8     Byeong-hun    AN    KOR     69     69            138
       Rhys    DAVIES    WAL     71     67            138
       Charles-Edouard    RUSSO    FRA     68     70            138
       Agustin    DOMINGO    ESP     69     69            138
       Damian    ULRICH    SUI     71     67            138
  13     Daan    HUIZING    NED     70     69            139
       Andrea    PAVAN    ITA     70     69            139
       Jason    BARNES    ENG     71     68            139
  16     Jamie    ELSON     ENG     72     68            140
       Jerome    LANDO CASANOVA     FRA     69     71   140
  18     Charlie    FORD    ENG     71     70            141
       Nacho    ELVIRA     ESP     70     71            141
       Carlos    AGUILAR     ESP     70     71            141
       José-Filipe    LIMA     POR     74     67            141
       Jacob    GLENNEMO    SWE     69     72            141
       Daniel    BROOKS    ENG     73     68            141
       Jens    FAHRBRING    SWE     70     71            141
  25     Gary    STAL     FRA     71     71            142
       George    MURRAY     SCO     72     70            142
       Jeppe    HULDAHL    DEN     72     70            142
       Adrian    OTAEGUI     ESP     70     72            142
       Jens    DANTORP    SWE     72     70            142
       Andrew    JOHNSTON    ENG     76     66            142
       Phillip    ARCHER    ENG     67     75            142
       Scott    ARNOLD     AUS     77     65            142
       Matt    HAINES     ENG     73     69            142
       Edouard    DUBOIS    FRA     71     71            142
       Terry    PILKADARIS    AUS     68     74            142
       Marco    CRESPI     ITA     68     74            142
  37     Andrea    ROTA    ITA     73     70            143
       Alvaro    VELASCO    ESP     74     69            143
       Adrien    BERNADET     FRA     71     72            143
       Tom    MURRAY    ENG     71     72            143
       Pedro    FIGUEIREDO     POR     72     71            143
       Thomas    NØRRET    DEN     71     72            143
       Duncan    STEWART    SCO     68     75            143
       Floris    DE VRIES     NED     70     73            143
       Julien    GUERRIER     FRA     72     71            143
  46     Jordi     GARCIA PINTO    ESP     72     72            144
       Jamie    ABBOTT    ENG     70     74            144
       Max    GLAUERT    GER     72     72            144
       Andrew    MCARTHUR     SCO     72     72            144
       Brinson    PAOLINI    USA     77     67            144
       Markus    BRIER    AUT     73     71            144
       Daniel    GAUNT    AUS     74     70            144
       Baptiste    CHAPELLAN    FRA     74     70            144
       Niklas    LEMKE    SWE     71     73            144
  55     Luis    CLAVERIE    ESP     75     70            145
       Paul    MADDY    ENG     72     73            145
       Gareth    SHAW    NIR     71     74            145
       Tapio    PULKKANEN     FIN     74     71            145
       Stuart    MANLEY    WAL     69     76            145
       Johan    CARLSSON    SWE     74     71            145
       Daniel    VANCSIK    ARG     70     75            145
                      MISSED THE CUT
       James    HEATH     ENG     76     70            146
       Benjamin    HEBERT     FRA     72     74            146
       Nicolo    RAVANO    ITA     72     74            146
  62     Wallace    BOOTH     SCO     74     72            146
       François    CALMELS     FRA     71     75            146
       David    PALM    SWE     75     71            146
  68     Adam    GEE     ENG     76     71            147
       Raymond    RUSSELL    SCO     73     74            147
       Pontus    WIDEGREN     SWE     73     74            147
       Filippo    BERGAMASCHI    ITA     74     73            147
       Niccolo    QUINTARELLI    ITA     73     74            147
       Guillaume    CAMBIS     FRA     70     77            147
  74     Pedro    ORIOL    ESP     72     76            148
       Reinier    SAXTON    NED     76     72            148
       Roland    STEINER    AUT     75     73            148
       Jason    TIMMIS    ENG     74     74            148
       Garry    HOUSTON    WAL     72     76            148
       Nick    DOUGHERTY     ENG     74     74            148
       Dodge    KEMMER    USA     75     74            149
       Daniel    IM    USA     74     75            149
       Sam    HUTSBY     ENG     76     73            149
  80     Luke    GODDARD     ENG     75     74            149
  84     Oliver    BEKKER    RSA     75     75            150
       Oliver    WILSON    ENG     74     76            150
       Knut    BORSHEIM     NOR     75     75            150
       Ben    PARKER     ENG     78     72            150
  88     Thomas    FOURNIER     FRA     74     77            151
       Federico    COLOMBO    ITA     77     74            151
       Daniel    WUENSCHE     GER     73     78            151
       Carlos    RODILES    ESP     77     75            152
  91     Tim    SLUITER     NED     77     75            152
       Paul    DWYER    ENG     76     76            152
       Sam    WALKER    ENG     74     78            152
       Domenico    GEMINIANI    ITA     80     72            152
       Pelle    EDBERG    SWE     75     77            152
       Martin    ROMINGER     SUI     74     78            152
       Jamie    MCLEARY     SCO     74     78            152
       Damien    PERRIER    FRA     75     77            152
       Carlos    DEL MORAL    ESP     79     73            152
       Jack    SENIOR    ENG     78     74            152
       Nils    FLOREN    SWE     82     71            153
       Rhys    ENOCH     WAL     75     78            153
 102     Åke    NILSSON    SWE     78     75            153
       Janne    MOMMO     FIN     80     74            154
 105     Kenneth    FERRIE    ENG     77     77            154
       HP    BACHER    AUT     78     78            156
 107     Lloyd    SALTMAN    SCO     72     84            156
 109     Dylan    FRITTELLI    RSA     82     75            157
       Ales    KORINEK    CZE     84     76            160
 110     Yevgeny    KAFELNIKOV    RUS     80     80            160
       Andrea    PERRINO     ITA     77     83            160
       Ruben    WECHGELAER    NED     79     82            161
 113     Ross    KELLETT    SCO     83     78            161
       Adam    RAJMONT     CZE     77     84            161
 116     James N    REISS    ENG     80     82            162
 117     Christophe    BRAZILLIER     FRA     86     77            163
       Mark    NICHOLS    ENG     79     86            165
 118     Ruslan    GARKAVENKO    UKR     79     86            165
 120     Zan Luka    STIRN (AM)    SLO     84     82            166
 121     Andriy    SHEVCHENKO (AM)    UKR     84     86            170
 122     Mike    KELLY    IRL     87     84            171
 123     Fedor    KARHAPOLOV (AM)    UKR     86     88            174
 124     Igor    MOUCHAN (AM)    UKR     92     90            182
       Roman    KOBITEV (AM)    UKR     94     94            188
 125     Alexander    BABICH (AM)    UKR     91     97            188
 127     Kirill    LACHIN    RUS     94     95            189
       Dmitry    SEMENIHIN (AM)    RUS     95     96            191
 128     Peter    VOLKOLUP    UKR     99     92            191
 130     Victor    OSTANKOV     RUS     88     DQ             200
131    Pawel    JAPOL    POL    109    WD            0

EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS

DARREN CLARKE TO PLAY ON US TOUR NEXT YEAR

Darren Clarke has taken up his option of returning to the US PGA Tour for the 2014 season.

The 45-year-old Northern Irishman has exempt status on the US circuit until 2016 as a result of his win at the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St George's.
"I will be taking up my US PGA Tour card next season but that does not mean I am abandoning Europe," he said.
"I will be supporting my home Tour as usual. I still feel I can be competitive at the highest level."
Since his Open triumph two years ago, Clarke has struggled for form and slipped to 372nd in the world rankings.
The Dungannon man is 127th in the European Tour's Race to Dubai standings having missed the cut in seven of his 12 tournaments this year.
His best finish so far in 2013 was his share of 21st place at the Open Championship.

FURYK JOINS THE 59 CLUB AS MCILROY IS LAST IN FIELD OF 70

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By JIM CORRIGAN, reporting from Chicago.
 Jim Furyk shot the sixth 59 in US PGA Tour history at the BMW Championship – and his magic number was in complete contrast to Rory McIlroy’s sorry effort.
While the veteran American was compiling his 12-under magnificence, McIlroy was recording his highest two-round aggregate in the United States. 
The former world No 1 is on 13 under after a 76. McIlroy will not be in Atlanta at the FedEx finale playing for the $10 million (£6.3 million) bonus, but Furyk surely will. 
The 44-year-old left his first-round 72 behind in extraordinary style with the lowest score of his long career by three shots to join the likes of David Duval and Stuart Appleby, the last man to break 60 in 2010. 
Furyk, who was overlooked for the Presidents Cup by US captain Fred Couples, holed his second on the 15th (his sixth) with a wedge from 115 yards and a barrage of birdies took him to 11-under with five remaining . 
Furyk three-putted the next hole for bogey, but was not done. He holed an 11-footer for a birdie on his 16th (the seventh) and then, on the last (the par-four ninth), he fired in a brilliant wedge from 110 yards to three feet. 
When the putt dropped, he fell into the arms of his caddie Mike “Fluff” Cowan, with so many of his fellow pros soon lining up to pass on their congratulations. His remarkable afternoon’s work gave him a share of the lead on 11-under with Brandt Snedeker, with Tiger Woods in a tie for fourth on six under. 
In last place in the 70-man field comes McIlroy. 
“I can get my head sharp, get refreshed and get ready for the last stint of the season,” McIlroy said. “I can recharge my batteries.” 
 He watched his hopes of a resurgence blow all over Conway Farms. McIlroy made his 11th double-bogey in his last 10 rounds, when he found trouble off the tee on the seventh. There was a birdie on the ninth, courtesy of a wedge to four feet, but this was a rare reminder of his quality. 
Former Masters champion Zach Johnson was three two shots off the lead at eight under after a second-round 70, while Tiger Woods lost ground after being penalised two strokes at the first.
The 14-time major champion's ball was seen on TV to have moved as he removed some loose impediments behind his ball and video footage was reviewed as he completed his round.
Slugger White, the PGA Tour's vice president of rules and competition, advised Woods not to sign his card until he had seen the video himself and the American's six was turned into an eight for a 72 and four under.
"I told him not to turn it in until I talked to him, and he looked at it, and clearly felt like the ball just oscillated," said White. "It's pretty clear that the ball did move."
England's Brian Davis led the British challenge on three under after a 67, one shot ahead of compatriot Luke Donald (70).
Another Englishman Lee Westwood looked less troubled by the back and neck problems that blighted his first round as he improved from an 80 to a 73 to end 11 over.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy, 24, was unable to gain any significant ground, though, as he finished only one shot better off than his first-round 78.
The Northern Irishman, who is without a win since the World Tour Championship in November last year, reached halfway at 13 over and in last place after a round that included six bogeys, one double bogey and two birdies.
The BMW Championship is the third leg of four in the FedEx Cup end-of-season play-off series.
There is no halfway cut but only the top 30 players in the standings will qualify for next week's Tour Championship in Atlanta, where the FedEx Cup winner will claim the $10m (£6.3m) prize.