• Paul, Park tied at the top in South Korea

    Sanghyun Park
    Park Sanghyun
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    Home favourite Park Sanghyun produced a big finish on Friday to sit alongside Yannik Paul at the top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage of the Korea Championship.

    After firing three front-nine birdies to turn in 33, 40-year-old Park dropped his first shot of the day at the 16th to fall one stroke adrift of early clubhouse leader Paul’s eight-under-par total with two holes to play.

    But the South Korean saved his best for last, completing an impressive up-and-down from around 25 feet on the 18th green to sign for a second-round 69 and grab a share of the lead.

    German Paul made five birdies and a solitary bogey in the morning to post a second successive 68.

    First-round leader Antoine Rozner was one shot back in a tie for third alongside fellow Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vera after a roller-coaster 74.

    Rozner had held a four-shot overnight lead but found himself two behind at the turn after a turbulent front nine which saw him recover from back-to-back bogeys with two birdies before a triple-bogey seven on the 9th threatened to derail his challenge.

    He bounced back with a birdie on the 16th and gave himself a good chance at the 18th but had to settle for a par and a seven-under-par midway total.

    Lorenzo-Vera, meanwhile, made an eagle, seven birdies and two bogeys in his 65.

    Deon Germishuys is the best-placed South African heading into the weekend (T24). He followed his first-round 69 with a 72 on Friday that left him on three under.

    Countryman Justin Walters is a further shot behind.

    Park started brightly on Friday afternoon, picking up shots at the 4th and 6th before making it three birdies in four holes following a sensational bunker shot on the par-five 7th.

    He then made eight successive pars before his first bogey arrived on the 16th but he responded with a sensational birdie at the last to make it a two-way tie at the top.

    Paul started at the 10th tee and made birdies on the 13th, 16th and 18th to reach the turn in 33 blows.

    After birdieing the long 3rd, he gave the shot straight back on the par-three 5th.

    But he holed his birdie putt from around five feet on the 7th to head into the weekend on eight under.

    – Edited report from DP World Tour website

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