South Korea’s Ham Jeong-woo eyes spot at British Open as he extends lead at S’pore Open
SINGAPORE – Coming into this week's Singapore Open presented by The Business Times, South Korean golfer Ham Jeong-woo was not thinking about the two British Open spots on offer for the top finishers.
But a strong start to the US$2 million (S$2.55 million) event has put that on his radar, as he holds a two-stroke lead with a 10-under 132 total after shooting a three-under 68 in the second round on April 24.
The top two finishers in Singapore who are not already exempt will earn berths to the prestigious Major, which takes place at Royal Birkdale from July 12 to 19.
Trailing Ham in second is Thai golfer Jazz Janewattananond, who carded a five-under 66, while Japan's Tomohiro Ishizaka (68) and India's Gaganjeet Bhullar (68) are a stroke back.
World No. 735 Ham said: "I honestly wasn't really thinking too much about The Open.
"I was feeling envious about the Korean players who were going to play at The Open, but since today's round has ended well, now I really want to go as well."
After sharing the first-round lead with Thai golfer Ekpharit Wu, Ham produced yet another solid performance at Sentosa Golf Club's Serapong Course.
Even with the sun bearing down, Ham registered four birdies against a bogey to claim the outright lead at the International Series event.
"I was really worried about playing here but I'm doing better than I expected so I was able to endure it well," said the 31-year-old, who was mindful to stay hydrated amid the scorching conditions.
"If I had hit over pars, it would have been harder to overcome the heat. I didn't do as well as I did yesterday but I'm still satisfied."
Jazz's familiarity with the course – which he won at the same venue in 2019 – benefited the 30-year-old, who steadily moved up the leaderboard as he began his second round with four birdies in his opening five holes.
His momentum was halted when he dropped a shot on the par-four 15th, but he recovered with a birdie on the 18th, before mixing two birdies and a bogey over his last nine holes.
The world No. 449 said: "The golf course is always in great shape, it's one of the best courses in Asia, it really suits my eye.
"There are not many places where it can rain in the morning and the greens are so firm, so it's a privilege to play here."
Leading the Singaporeans in the field of 144 are Ryan Ang (69) and amateur Brayden Lee (68), who are among the four local players to make the cut. They sit tied-19th with seven others, including joint first-round leader Wu (75), on a three-under 139 total.
The other Singaporeans progressing to the weekend are James Leow (66) and amateur Troy Storm (71), who are joint-38th and tied-56th respectively.
Both Lee and Troy also made the cut in the 2025 edition, finishing tied-50th and tied-63rd respectively.
Lee, 18, said: "It's awesome, it's great that I was always able to put a good foot forward and play well in the first two rounds but some things can change, so I'm looking forward to a much better day three and four as compared to last year."
Meanwhile, Asian Tour commissioner and chief executive Cho Minn Thant expressed confidence that the International Series – a set of elevated events on the regional circuit – would go on despite uncertainty over LIV Golf's future.
This comes a week after reports surfaced that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund was on the cusp of withdrawing its support for the rebel league.
The International Series is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and LIV Golf.
In a round-table session with the media, he acknowledged there were concerns when the news broke, but added that LIV has since provided assurance that the 2026 season will proceed as planned.
Echoing what LIV chief executive Scott O'Neil had said about structural changes coming to the league, Cho said: "We have to come up with a new plan for 2027 and beyond."
While no details were shared, he stressed that the International Series is still a key focus.
He said: "I'm confident the relationship will remain and the International Series is very much one of the sustainable departments of the LIV investment.
"We've shown that the International Series can generate its own sponsors, is commercially sustainable and the International Series will survive, if not get strong through this."
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