Byeong Hun An has taken a two-stroke lead into the weekend at the Genesis Championship as he looks to secure his first victory on home turf in over nine years. The South Korean golfer started the second round one shot behind overnight leader Ivan Cantero but pulled ahead as he reached 11-under-par after a six-under round of 66 at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon. Despite a couple of bogeys on the fifth and sixth holes, An managed to play the front nine in three under with five birdies and then made three more gains on the back nine.
An’s last victory on home soil was at the 2015 Shinhan Donghae Open, shortly after becoming the first Asian golfer to win the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. The Genesis Championship marks the final event of the DP World Tour’s ‘Back 9’ series and gives players the last chance to earn their playing rights for the next season, with the top 114 on the Race to Dubai Rankings securing their cards.
With zero expectations coming into the tournament, An expressed his appreciation for the home support and the opportunity to showcase his skills in front of his fans. Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia, who was initially in 154th place on the rankings, improved his chances of retaining his playing rights by carding six birdies and a bogey to reach eight under. American Johannes Veerman also held the same score alongside Hoshino and Cantero in a tie for fourth.
Tom Kim had a flawless round of 69 to lead a trio at seven under, including Alejandro Del Rey and Matthew Southgate, who are both fighting to save their cards. Marco Penge from Sussex birdied the last hole to make the cut on the line at -1 and boost his chances of playing on the DP World Tour next year. Eddie Pepperell also managed to make the cut with a shot to spare to give himself a chance of staying on Europe’s top-tier tour.
Overall, the Genesis Championship is shaping up to be an exciting tournament with An leading the way and several players vying for their playing rights for the next season. The atmosphere and support from the home crowd are providing An with an extra boost as he aims to secure a long-awaited victory. As the tournament progresses, it will be interesting to see how the leaderboard shifts and which players ultimately come out on top.
