Kim Dae-hyun blasted eight birdies in a six-under-par 66 to tie for the third-round lead with fellow Korean Kim Kyung-tae at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open yesterday, the third event in the OneAsia season.
Kim Kyung-tae, a star on the Japan Tour, carded a third straight bogey-free 68 as the young pair finished 12-under, six shots clear of experienced duo Kang Kyung-nam (67) and Kim Dae-sub (72), both five-time winners on the Korean Tour.
Schoolboy amateur Lee Soo-min, 16, shot 68 to lie fifth at five-under, one ahead of Australians Scott Arnold (69) and former PGA Tour regular Stephen Allan (71).
Starting the day two behind Kim Kyung-tae, Kim Dae-hyun drew level on the 12th after his fourth birdie. It was also the first of a run of five straight birdies before the wavy-haired 22-year-old bogeyed 17. Kim Kyung-tae, 23, responded with a hat-trick of birdies from 13 to 15, to add to an earlier one when both players picked up a shot at the par-five ninth.
“I really played some good shots today,” Kim Dae-hyun said. “I’m happy with eight birdies as I drove well and my short game was good. My putting was much better than yesterday.”
The Korean Tour’s biggest hitter with an average drive of over 304m, Kim Dae-hyun looked forward to another clash of styles as he bids for his second pro title following his breakthrough win at last September’s Korea-China KEB Invitational.
“I’ll try my best but this is like Kim Kyung-Tae’s home course. He’s a very detailed player, whereas I’m much more explosive. We know each other well from our days playing in the Korean national team. I’m just going to enjoy it,” Kim Dae-hyun said.
Kim Kyung-tae won the 2007 Maekyung Open at Namseoul, one of three Korean Tour titles he won on his way to topping the Order of Merit in his rookie season. This week, he hasn’t dropped a shot in 54 holes at the mountainous, 6,962m course just 15 minutes’ drive from his family’s home in Yongin.
Like his playing partner, the 23-year-old was looking forward to another duel in the sun as he bids for his first OneAsia title.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about £2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Less than a week after splashing out a world-record fee for Naomi Girma, Chelsea has spent big again to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the English Women’s Super League. Walsh left European champions Barcelona after more than two years to join Chelsea for a reported £400,000 (US$496,000) on Friday. Walsh was the world’s most expensive player for two years after moving to Barcelona from Manchester City for a reported £400,000 in 2022. That status now belongs to Girma, the US defender who cost Chelsea a reported £900,000 to sign from the San Diego Wave. Still, it means 27-year-old Walsh — a technically