Thailand’s Danthai Boonma [main picture] clearly likes the Shinhan Donghae Open. He has played in the prestigious Korean event four times and comfortably made it through to the weekend on each occasion. In 2022 he even had a run at the title before tying for 14^th.

Today, in his fifth appearance, the affinity showed once more as he took a share of the first-round lead, shooting a five-under-par 67.

The fact that it’s a different venue this year – the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon – had little effect. Two birdies in his last three holes as the day drew to a close saw him share top spot with Korean Jiho Yang.

Canadian Richard T. Lee, winner of this event eight years ago, is tied third with a who’s who of Korean golf: Minkyu Kim, Younghan Song, Jeunghun Wang, Kyongjun Moon, Sukwoan Ko, and Hyungjoon Lee. Japan’s Tomoharu Otsuki and Taiki Yoshida also carded the same score – in an event tri-sanctioned by the Asian, Korean, and Japan Tours.

Danthai began the day on hole 10 and stumbled with bogeys on two and three – missing short putts.

Jiho Yang.

“But then I talked with my caddie,” he said. “It was like, I have to figure out about my putting. After that, I found something and I made two birdies in a row, so I found some momentum.”

The 29-year-old’s game has been trending. He was runner-up in the International Series Morocco in July and the following month claimed the Singha Championship on the All Thailand Golf Tour.

He explained: “Right now I think everything is like 80%, if you know what I mean? I think the most important improvement for me is short game. Before it was like under 50%, right now more like 60-70%, so everything is good.”

He is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour but the most recent was the 2019 Bangladesh Open.

Yang shares pole position despite a run of poor form recently.

“I started changing my swing two, three weeks ago. I’m getting into it, being more comfortable now,” said the Korean, who has won twice before on the local tour.

“Currently I’m trying to work on my swing and change it up a bit, so I didn’t really have high expectations. But my long game was actually a lot better than I had thought, so that’s why my second shots were really solid.”

He was bogey free today – with four birdies on the back nine, having started on 10.

On his best hole today, he said: “The first hole definitely, we get the jitters if you’re nervous. But then the first tee shot was really good, and then after that it was kind of smooth sailing.”

Richard T. Lee.

Lee’s fine round is yet another for a player enjoying a purple patch that just never seems to end.

He has made 22 successive cuts on the Asian Tour; the last one he missed was at the International Series Singapore in October of 2023.

Since play resumed on the Tour at the end of 2021, after the near two-break caused by the pandemic, he has been one of the in-form players. He won the BNI Indonesian Masters last year, has been runner-up on three occasions, finished third three times, and had seven other top-10s. He has also featured on the leaderboard during rounds one, two and three countless times.

On the Korean PGA Tour, he has been equally impressive – particularly this year, winning once this season and second twice. He is currently in second place on the Korean tour’s money list, called the Genesis Points Ranking list.

He said today: “I’ve been really working on my putting with my coach this year, and I think it was really key. I was missing a few putts from the short-range distance, and making those putts, I think, is making me play well this year.”

The 34-year-old was another to start on 10 today, made three birdies going out, and two more on the second half but dropped one shot, on eight.

“Pretty good today,” he added. “I had a little hiccup on the seventh hole, par five, had a little duffed chip, into the grain shot. It was pretty simple shot, but made par instead of birdie. On my 17 (8th hole), I made bogey and backed it up with a birdie on nine.

“On 17 I just didn’t have the right club in my hand, just in between clubs, and kind of tugged it a little bit into the long rough and had not a good lie and chipped up and two putted.”

The Canadian has history at this week’s event, having won it back in 2017 – adding to his other Asian Tour title, the 2014 Solaire Open.

“Yeah, gotta hold of this week’s trophy soon again,” said Lee, who was also third in the event two years ago.”

Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho fired a 69 and is in group of players tied for 12^th, along with Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai – winner of the Mandiri Indonesia Open two weeks ago.

Asian Tour Order of Merit leader Scott Vincent from Zimbabwe carded a 71.

Picture courtesy Korean PGA.