Chan Kim sneaks up with bogey free 5 under as co-leader after R2 at Taiheiyo Masters

Chan Kim made a smooth move up the leader board with bogey free round of 65 to share the top spot with Ryosuke Kinoshita and Yuwa Kowaihara heading into the weekends at the SMBC VISA Taiheiyo Masters.

Same among Ryo Ishikawa and Takumi Kanaya, Chan had to go through 2 weeks of restraint period, where he had to stay in at a business hotel near Narita Airport and couldn't make not even a swing.

But there seemed to be no worries, as Chan got his "A game" back on track. He started out from 10th on R2. He makes back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16. Then he made birdie at 1st right after the turn and went on to make another back-to-back birdies at 7 and 8.

"It was freezing yesterday, but today we were blessed with a warm weather, so I was able to swing more freely and my yardages got longer. But if I hit it longer than this, chances of miss shots increase, so I guess it is perfect now."

Chan had few more birdie chances that he could not make, but still, he sneaked up from 19T to co-leader. He said his goal this week is to win, but at least finish within Top 3 to grab the ticket to JT. Chan's plan seems to be working perfectly so far.

"My shots are good and has given me great chances. But even you play great today, tomorrow is another story for game of golf. But I am just so glad that I could play in tournaments, so I don't want to be too conscious about the results."

Another thing Chan was looking very much forward for was Japanese food, which he had Yakiniku (beef BBQ), Yakiniku again then Shabu-shabu (sliced beef in hot boiled water). ALL MEAT for 3 nights in a row.
"You cannot resist the taste of Wagyu. It's is no comparison to US Beef. Korean BBQ has sause on it before hand. But Japanese Yakiniku is different, you can taste the juiciness of the beef. It is the best. Tonight? Maybe Sushi, or Yakiniku again."