Top Korean golfer Junggon Hwang made five brilliant birdies on the trot enroute to taking the third-round lead today at the Final Stage of the Asian Tour’s Qualifying School, in Hua Hin, Thailand.
Hwang, a four-time winner in Japan eyeing success on the Asian Tour, carded a seven-under-par 65 at Springfield Royal Country Club to lead on 11-under-par.
His compatriot Jeunghun Wang, the leader after the first two days, is in a tie for second, one back, following a 72, along with Spaniard Carlos Pigem, in with a 67.
Indian Honey Baisoya fired a 68 to sit in outright fourth, two off the lead.
All the frontrunners played at Springfield today but will switch to Lakeview Resort and Golf Club tomorrow, before the former venue hosts the decisive final round on Saturday, where 35 Asian Tour cards will be won.
Said Hwang: “Today my putting and shots were really good. On the first and second day it was really hard, so today it was easy to play with putting and shots like that.
“Korea is really cold now, so I was practicing indoors and really checking my swing and then came here early to practice one week at Springfield.”
The 31-year-old won four times in Japan between 2011 and 2019, including two Casio World Opens.
His five-birdie run started on nine, and he made nine birdies in total and two bogeys.
Having started 65 and 68, Wang, a three-time winner on the DP World Tour including one in Asia, will have been disappointed with today’s round but a birdie on the par-five 18th still means he is extremely well positioned.
“I had five birdies today but five bogeys too,” he said.
“It was a tough day to be honest and it was really windy out there, so I thought I played good, but everyone was playing well.
“Tomorrow will be the Lakeview course for me. I feel it’s easier than Springfield so must be a good day tomorrow.”
Pigem played on the Asian Tour from 2013 for six years before competing in Europe and is excited to be back in the region.
He said: “I mean I really enjoyed my six years here in Asia. I lost my card in 2018 unfortunately, but then I had the chance to play on the DP World Tour for three years and two years on Challenge Tour. Hopefully it would be really nice to get my card back and play again in Asia.”
An eagle on the 18th, where he holed from 20 feet was the perfect finish.
“I started really well with three great shots on holes number one, two and three. I put it to five feet on the first one, on the second hole I hit it to five yards and two putted and on the third hole, I made it from six feet.
“Then I hit a couple of bad shots and made bogey on number seven, but then I kept focusing on myself and had a present on 18 when I hit a good shot and made a good putt for eagle.”
American hotshot John Catlin, a four-time winner on the Asian Tour and three-time champion in Europe, is lurking ominously in fifth place. He carded a 69 at Springfield, his home course, and is three off the top, attempting to re-ignite his career.
The top-70 players (and ties) after 72 holes tomorrow will play in the final round.
Scores after round 3 of the The Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage 2024 being played at the par 72 (am – denotes amateur):
204 – Junggon Hwang (KOR) 68-71-65.
205 – Carlos Pigem (ESP) 67-71-67, Jeunghun Wang (KOR) 65-68-72.
206 – Honey Baisoya (IND) 69-69-68.
207 – Shogenji Tatsunori (JPN) 69-73-65, Danthai Boonma (THA) 71-68-68, John Catlin (USA) 72-66-69, Maverick Antcliff (AUS) 69-69-69, Jose Toledo (GTM) 71-66-70, Justin Quiban (PHI) 69-68-70.
208 – Tomoharu Otsuki (JPN) 68-72-68, Kristoffer Broberg (SWE) 71-69-68, Hanmil Jung (KOR) 72-66-70.
209 – Hamza Amin (PAK) 71-70-68, Ryosuke Kinoshita (JPN) 72-70-67, Tunyapat Sukkoed (THA) 75-65-69.
208 – Justin Warren (AUS) 72-74-62.
209 – Nick Voke (NZL) 65-75-69, Liu Yanwei (CHN) 71-68-70, Stefano Mazzoli (ITA) 69-67-73, Jared Du Toit (CAN) 72-74-63.
210 – Matt Killen (ENG) 68-72-70, Matias Dominguez (CHI) 68-71-71, Sam Brazel (AUS) 69-67-74.
211 – Lachlan Barker (AUS) 74-68-69, Ben Jones (ENG) 71-71-69, Charlie Lindh (SWE) 67-73-71, Jordan Zunic (AUS) 74-69-68, Matt Sharpstene (USA) 69-74-68, Naraajie Ramadhanputra (INA) 72-71-68, Taichi Nabetani (JPN) 71-63-77.
212 – Liu Yung-hua (TPE) 72-70-70.
211 – Christian Banke (USA) 72-74-65.
212 – Aman Raj (IND) 73-68-71.
211 – Poosit Supupramai (THA) 74-71-66.
212 – Taihei Sato (JPN) 68-69-75, Austen Truslow (USA) 72-72-68.
213 – Chankyu Park (KOR) 70-72-71, Denzel Ieremia (NZL) 70-70-73, Panuphol Pittayarat (THA) 68-74-71, Doyeob Mun (KOR) 71-69-73, Sangpil Yoon (KOR) 71-69-73, Khalin Joshi (IND) 73-70-70.
212 – James Leow (SIN) 77-69-66, Yikeun Chang (KOR) 72-73-67.
213 – Tawit Polthai (THA) 71-72-70, Angus Flanagan (ENG) 72-71-70, Jared Edwards (NZL) 73-70-70, K.P. Lin (TPE) 70-74-69.
212 – Douglas Klein (AUS) 72-72-68.
213 – Natipong Srithong (THA) 74-70-69, Kosuke Hamamoto (THA) 70-74-69.
212 – Otto Van Buynder (RSA) 72-72-68.
214 – Sunhit Bishnoi (IND) 73-69-72.
213 – Manav Shah (USA) 71-75-67.
214 – Issa Abouelela (am, EGY) 72-69-73.
213 – Michael Herrera (USA) 75-71-67.
214 – Peter Wilson (AUS) 69-74-71.
213 – Yuta Sugiura (JPN) 77-70-66.
214 – Galven Green (MAS) 73-70-71.
213 – Rakhyun Cho (KOR) 78-69-66.
214 – Tomoyo Ikemura (JPN) 68-71-75, Wooyoung Cho (KOR) 67-72-75.
213 – Joe Heraty (ENG) 72-73-68.
214 – Mikiya Akutsu (JPN) 70-69-75, Varun Chopra (USA) 70-69-75.
213 – Runchanapong Youprayong (THA) 70-74-69.
214 – Xiao Bowen (CHN) 76-68-70.
213 – Rahil Gangjee (IND) 73-71-69.
214 – Yosuke Asaji (JPN) 72-72-70.
213 – Abel Gallegos (ARG) 71-73-69.
215 – Jeremy Gandon (FRA) 75-67-73, Yuwa Kosaihira (JPN) 72-70-73.
214 – Lloyd Jefferson Go (PHI) 74-72-68, Gregory Foo (SIN) 72-74-68.
215 – Liu Enhua (CHN) 68-72-75, Nathan Barbieri (AUS) 70-73-72.
216 – Andy Kang (USA) 71-71-74.
215 – Eunshin Park (KOR) 75-71-69, Saptak Talwar (IND) 72-74-69, Aoki Takano (JPN) 78-68-69, David Meyers (RSA) 72-74-69.
216 – Bai Zhengkai (CHN) 72-71-73, Max Charles (am, AUS) 71-72-73, Khavish Varadan (MAS) 74-69-73.
215 – Luke Gifford (USA) 76-71-68, Minhyeok Yang (KOR) 70-77-68, Sean Ramos (PHI) 73-72-70.
216 – Lawry Flynn (AUS) 75-69-72.
215 – Cameron Harlock (am, NZL) 78-70-67, Lin Chuan-tai (am, TPE) 69-75-71, Jonathan Walters (USA) 76-68-71, Jaturon Duangphaichoom (THA) 77-71-67.
217 – Christofer Rahm (SWE) 72-71-74.
216 – Sungjin Noh (KOR) 75-72-69, Itthipat Buranatanyarat (THA) 72-75-69, Robin Petersson (SWE) 75-72-69.
217 – Gaurav P. Singh (IND) 71-72-74, Ye Wocheng (CHN) 70-73-74.
216 – Jesper Kennegard (SWE) 72-73-71, Harrison Crowe (AUS) 74-71-71, Jonathan Wijono (INA) 73-74-69, Kyle Michel (AUS) 74-71-71.
217 – Seungtaek Oh (KOR) 74-69-74, Yubin Jang (KOR) 74-72-71, Lu Sun-yi (TPE) 73-73-71, Arjun Prasad (IND) 72-75-70, Meenwhee Kim (KOR) 70-75-72, Baekjun Kim (KOR) 72-73-72, Jeff Guan (AUS) 73-74-70, Joel Stalter (FRA) 76-69-72, Eric McIntosh (SCO) 72-73-72, Paul San (MAS) 74-73-70, Dodge Kemmer (USA) 76-72-69, Waris Manthorn (THA) 70-74-73, Gen Nagai (JPN) 75-73-69.
218 – Tirawat Kaewsiribandit (THA) 74-70-74.
217 – Kartik Sharma (IND) 72-72-73.
218 – Sam Rook (ENG) 74-72-72, Jake Lane (CAN) 71-75-72, Leo Oyo (JPN) 71-75-72, Pukhraj Singh Gill (IND) 69-78-71, Luo Xuewen (CHN) 69-76-73, Ayoub Lguirati (MAR) 78-69-71.
219 – Koh Deng shan (SIN) 72-72-75.
218 – Shae Wools-Cobb (AUS) 73-72-73, Rikard Karlberg (SWE) 75-69-74, Pawin Ingkhapradit (THA) 72-76-70.
219 – Tanapat Pichaikool (THA) 71-75-73, Hongtaek Kim (KOR) 74-73-72.
220 – Yashas Chandra (IND) 73-70-77, Julius Kreutzer (GER) 77-67-76.
219 – Gavin Moynihan (IRL) 75-70-74, Alvaro Quiros (ESP) 74-74-71.
220 – Austin Duncan (USA) 74-72-74, Weerawish Narkprachar (THA) 74-71-75, Suttinon Panyo (THA) 76-71-73, Tsutomu Kikuta (JPN) 75-69-76.
221 – Matthew Cheung (HKG) 73-75-73.
222 – Akinori Tani (JPN) 72-74-76, Sam Broadhurst (ENG) 78-69-75, Jeff Burton (USA) 74-73-75, Andre Lautee (AUS) 73-75-74.
223 – Lu Wei-chih (TPE) 73-73-77, Ngai Si (am, MAC) 76-72-75, Cameron Meeks (USA) 75-73-75.
224 – Rory Hie (INA) 73-74-77, Manu Gandas (IND) 72-76-76.
225 – Jakkanat Inmee (THA) 76-72-77.
