Kyungnam Kang’s 20 years of experience in the professional game are starting to show in the punishing Final Stage of the Asian Tour Qualifying School.
The 41-year-old Korean drained a 40-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole soon after an eagle on 15, on the A and B course at Lake View Resort and Golf Club in Hua Hin, Thailand, to open up a three-shot lead after the third round.
He fired a six-under-par 65 to sit at 16-under with two rounds remaining in the school – which after Saturday’s final round will see the top 35 earn Tour cards for 2025.
American Christopher Hickman (65) plus Japan’s Takumi Murakami (66) and Taiki Yoshida (67) are tied for second, with India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu (68) and second-round leader Australian Jack Thompson (70) a shot further back.
They will play the more difficult C and D nines tomorrow, when the top 70 and ties will make the second and final cut of the week.
Kang is a serial winner in Korea, with 11 domestic titles – the most recent coming in 2021 – and has opted to play on home soil for most of his career.
However, the lure of the Asian Tour and its blossoming International Series has brought him to the Tour’s school for only the second time in his career.
He said: “International Series can get you onto LIV Golf – I feel now is my best chance.”
With three top 15s in the Asian Tour events played in Korea this season, including equal third in the Kolon Korea Open, and an eighth-place finish on the money list in Korea, you can understand why he has made the trip south.
In fact, the last time he played an Asian Tour event outside of Korea was the Malaysian Open in 2020.
Thompson, winner of the school two years ago on the same course and a firm favourite to make it through this week, said: “Not as good today, just one under, but in good shape.”
Lying in a tie for seventh five off top spot are Australia’s Lawry Flynn (65), Yosuke Asaji (67) from Japan, and Korean Doyeob Mun (70).
Australian Jordan Zunic helped his chances of making it through the week with a card in hand by acing the par-three 14th using a five iron. He’s six under in a tie for 30th following a 67.
Notable players with work to do tomorrow in order be around for Saturday are Scotland’s Marc Warren, American Berry Henson, England’s Sam Broadhurst – son of former Ryder Cup star Paul Broadhurst – Spain’s Alejandro Canizares, son of another Ryder Cup hero, Jose-Maria Canizares, and American Jason Knutzon, who are all two under and in a tie for 76th.
For the final round on Saturday the A and B nines will be used; the easier track but with the pressure reaching its peak.
Scores after round 3 of the 2025 Asian Tour Qualifying School-Final Stage (am – denotes amateur):
197 – Kyungnam Kang (KOR) 63-69-65.
200 – Christopher Hickman (USA) 67-68-65, Takumi Murakami (JPN) 69-65-66, Taiki Yoshida (JPN) 66-67-67.
201 – Ajeetesh Sandhu (IND) 63-70-68, Jack Thompson (AUS) 65-66-70.
202 – Lawry Flynn (AUS) 71-66-65, Yosuke Asaji (JPN) 67-68-67, Doyeob Mun (KOR) 65-67-70.
203 – Bai Zhengkai (CHN) 69-68-66, Sean Ramos (PHI) 64-71-68.
204 – Joel Stalter (FRA) 70-67-67, George Kneiser (USA) 68-70-66, Niklas Regner (AUT) 65-72-67, Settee Prakongvech (THA) 68-68-68, Denzel Ieremia (NZL) 68-67-69.
205 – Liu Yanwei (CHN) 68-70-67, Charles Porter (USA) 70-68-67, Yusaku Hosono (JPN) 68-70-67, Brett Rankin (AUS) 67-70-68, Taiga Sugihara (JPN) 67-70-68, Ervin Chang (MAS) 67-69-69, Leon D’Souza (HKG) 70-67-68, Manav Shah (USA) 66-67-72.
206 – Pep Angles (ESP) 71-67-68, Michele Ortolani (ITA) 67-71-68, Jakkanat Inmee (THA) 71-70-65, Flint Bekkers (USA) 65-71-70, Roberto Lebrija (MEX) 71-69-66.
207 – Eduard Rousaud (ESP) 69-69-69, Tyson Reeder (USA) 72-71-64, Yin-ho Yue (HKG) 72-69-66, Jordan Zunic (AUS) 69-71-67.
208 – Todd Sinnott (AUS) 71-71-66, Zach Murray (AUS) 66-71-71, Ekpharit Wu (THA) 68-70-70, Luis Carrera (MEX) 69-67-72, She Zihan (CHN) 70-69-69, Darcy Brereton (AUS) 67-68-73, Nicklaus Chiam (SIN) 72-67-69, Julien Sale (FRA) 68-67-73, Ngai Si (MAC) 71-69-68, Xiao Bowen (CHN) 71-69-68, Minjun Kim (KOR) 69-71-68.
209 – Miguel Carballo (ARG) 65-73-71, Su Ching-hung (TPE) 68-70-71, Minwook Gwon (KOR) 71-67-71, Changwoo Lee (KOR) 72-70-67, Sunkyu Baek (USA) 67-71-71, Marcus Fraser (AUS) 68-69-72, Wu Ashun (CHN) 69-68-72, Carl Jano Corpus (PHI) 67-72-70, David Drysdale (SCO) 70-72-67, Wang Wei-hsuan (TPE) 67-70-72, Georges Stal (FRA) 71-65-73, Keita Okada (am, JPN) 68-71-70, Jaemin Park (am, KOR) 69-70-70, Minhyuk Song (KOR) 71-68-70, Will Florimo (AUS) 70-64-75, Austin Rose (USA) 72-68-69, Karandeep Kochhar (IND) 67-73-69, Taiko Nishiyama (JPN) 69-71-69, Aryan Roopa Anand (IND) 69-71-69.
210 – Suradit Yongcharoenchai (THA) 71-71-68, Gregory Foo (SIN) 71-66-73, Pawin Ingkhapradit (THA) 71-71-68, Dominic Foos (GER) 67-71-72, Paul Dunne (IRL) 68-71-71, Sarut Vongchaisit (THA) 69-70-71, Aidric Chan (PHI) 70-69-71, Yuki Shino (JPN) 69-72-69, Charng-Tai Sudsom (THA) 70-69-71, Siddikur Rahman (BAN) 68-66-76, Christian Nido (PUR) 70-70-70, Agustin Errazuriz (CHI) 67-73-70.
211 – Marc Warren (SCO) 71-72-68, Yikeun Chang (KOR) 72-71-68, Ben Jones (ENG) 71-71-69, Nopparat Panichphol (THA) 73-66-72, James Leow (SIN) 70-69-72, Berry Henson (USA) 68-75-68, Alejandro Canizares (ESP) 72-67-72, Sam Broadhurst (ENG) 68-73-70, Yu Sung-po (TPE) 67-72-72, Jason Knutzon (USA) 69-71-71, Zhang Xinjun (CHN) 73-68-70, Taehoon Ok (KOR) 71-73-67, Robert Foley (SUI) 70-70-71.
212 – William Harrold (ENG) 71-71-70, Ryoto Furuya (USA) 71-71-70, Nirun Sae-ueng (THA) 71-71-70, Shotaro Ban (USA) 73-67-72, Santiago De la Fuente (MEX) 71-70-71, Andrew Campbell (AUS) 71-70-71, Jordan Wrisdale (ENG) 71-69-72.
213 – Matloob Ahmad (PAK) 72-70-71, Kuangyu Chen (am, AUS) 69-73-71, Patrick Newcomb (USA) 70-72-71, Arjun Sharma (IND) 73-70-70, Taisei Shimizu (JPN) 71-72-70, Ollie Roberts (SCO) 73-70-70, Dengshan Koh (SIN) 70-71-72, Junsub Park (KOR) 70-73-70, Hamza Amin (PAK) 71-70-72, Lu Sun-yi (TPE) 72-72-69, Ivan Ramirez (COL) 69-72-72, Newport Laparojkit (THA) 73-71-69, Zachary Portemont (USA) 71-69-73, Trevor Simsby (USA) 70-74-69.
214 – Cameron Sisk (USA) 73-69-72, Jasper Stubbs (AUS) 71-71-72, Pukhraj Singh Gill (IND) 68-75-71, Adam Guedra (SWE) 73-68-73, Carson Enright (USA) 70-73-71, Khemkhon Limbhasut (THA) 67-76-71, Othman Raouzi (MOR) 72-69-73, Jonghark Kim (KOR) 74-70-70, Filip Lundell (SWE) 71-69-74, Kasper Nyland (DEN) 70-71-73, Isaac Lam (HKG) 76-68-70, Yujun Jung (KOR) 70-70-74, Niall Kearney (IRL) 71-73-70.
215 – Anshul Kabthiyal (IND) 72-70-73, Amir Nazrin (MAS) 73-70-72, Daniel Hudson (USA) 72-71-72, Sven Maurits (NED) 69-72-74, Tyler Wood (NZL) 68-73-74, Zhou Yanhan (CHN) 69-75-71, S. Chikkarangappa (IND) 73-71-71.
216 – Tao Deng (CHN) 74-68-74, Rashid Khan (IND) 71-71-74, Ryusei Yokota (JPN) 73-70-73, Honey Baisoya (IND) 74-70-72, Rafael Becker (BRA) 71-73-72, Lu Wei-chih (TPE) 70-74-72.
217 – Luca Cianchetti (ITA) 73-69-75, Naoki Sekito (JPN) 71-71-75, Shahriffuddin Ariffin (MAS) 68-74-75.
218 – Hunter Logan (USA) 70-74-74, Moojin Cho (KOR) 73-71-74.
221 – Alexander Bishop (USA) 72-69-80.
