Published on September 5, 2024

Balancing practice with the right amount of rest is clearly working well for Jaewoong Eom [main picture] after he birdied his final three holes to storm through and take a share of the lead at the Shinhan Donghae Open today.

The Korean and Asian Tour member fired a seven-under-par 65 along with Japan’s Tomoyo Ikemura, at Ocean Course at Club72, near Incheon Airport.

Thailand’s Rattanon Wannasrichan shot a 66, with Korean Minkyu Kim, winner of the Kolon Korea Open in June, next best placed following a 67, along with countrymen Kyungnam Kang and Hanmil Jung, Japan’s Kosuke Suzuki plus Australian Anthony Quayle.

David Boriboonsub from Thailand, American Berry Henson, Miguel Tabuena from the Philippines, Australian Travis Smyth and Ryo Ishikawa from Japan are in a large group who recorded 68s.

Persistent showers and wind thrashed the field for much of the day, making Eom’s performance all the more impressive – in an event tri-sanctioned by the Asian, Korean and Japan Tours.

Tomoyo Ikemura.

“Overall, the performance was good,” said Eom, who played in the morning.

“I was able to concentrate well. The goal was to make the game easy and thankfully that happened. It was difficult due to the rain.  I started at the 10th hole and after five holes the rain poured down and the wind was strong. I managed to get through that okay and make some birdies.”

He made eight birdies and dropped one shot, on the 18th, his ninth, with five birdies coming on his bogey-free second half.

“I rest during breaks in the schedule but also work hard on the areas I need to improve. I have focused on my swing and fitness training lately. The effects seem to be working well, my game is on the up.”

Eom, who speaks Mandarin fluently having lived in China as a child, enjoyed his best season on the Asian Tour last year, finishing second in the International Series Singapore, and tying for second in the New Zealand Open.

Kim, who put in a fine performance tying for 31st place at The Open soon after winning his national Open, is coming off the back of a couple of disappointing weeks on the Korean PGA Tour and was less than happy with his game today despite sitting on the shoulder of the leader.

Rattanon Wannasrichan.

“I didn’t hit it very good today, but my putting and short game were really good,” said the 23-year-old, who also won the Kolon Korea Open in 2022.

“I finished around the 30th and 50th mark playing in local events after The Open. I was trying my best and enjoyed playing in them, but I didn’t perform, just need to work harder.

“Golf is like up and down, it’s like that; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I just didn’t like how I was hitting today.”

By contrast Boriboonsub was delighted with his performance. This year he has been trying to re-capture the kind of form that saw win three events at the end of last year:  the Saudi Open, the Thailand Open on the All Thailand Golf Tour and the Aramco Invitational on the Asian Development Tour.

A more passive approach appears to have done the trick for the 20-year-old rising star this week.

He said: “Today was a really good round. I am now bogey free since the last day off Indonesia last weekend. I changed my game plan and mindset. Just having fun and don’t make six is the plan.

“I drove good, my irons are okay, putting not that good but still two putts. The game is more simple than before: I am just trying to hit fairways and greens. I attacked a lot before. Now is a complete change in approach.”

Defending champion Guntaek Koh from Korea and his compatriot Yubin Jang, the current leader of the Korean PGA Tour merit list, both fired 71s.

Minkyu Kim. Pictures courtesy Korean PGA.

Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai, who lost in sudden-death here last year, came in with a 73.

England’s Steve Lewton, winner of the Mandiri Indonesia Open last weekend, fired a 75. He started on the back nine and was in contention at three under through 14 until a triple-bogey on hole six was followed by a double on the next before a bogey on eight.