Hwang’s back with a vengeance

Junggon Hwang of Korea put himself in a good position to challenge for a fifth JGTO victory after carding a two-under-par 68 to sit just one shot off the pace as The Crowns head into the final round tomorrow.

Hwang, making only his second JGTO start since 2019, finished outright second with his three-day total of 10-under-par 200 as he trails defending champion Hiroshi Iwata by just one shot.

Hwang had earlier returned to complete his four remaining holes in the second round and posted a strong 67 to finish in a four-way tie for the halfway stage lead with Kota Kaneko, Yoshitaka Takeya and Brad Kennedy of Australia on 132.

The 29-year-old then continued to show his resolve by mixing five birdies with three bogeys to give himself a shot at glory in the tournament he finished joint runner-up back in 2018.

It will be a massive boost for Hwang if he achieves a grandstand finish tomorrow. The South Korean recently completed his two-year mandatory military service, which kept him out for the entire 2020/21 season.

Hwang, who played at the Token Homemate Cup and finished tied-48th, will be determined to swiftly regain the form he left off in 2019, which was his best yet. 

He won the Mynavi ABC Championship for his fourth JGTO title and registered three top-three finishes, including finishing second in the season-ending Dunlop Phoenix and Japan PGA Championship that year.

American Todd Baek also set himself up for a possible JGTO breakthrough after firing a 67 to settle for a share of sixth place on 203.

Andrew Evans of Australia returned with a 70 to be placed in tied-11th place on 204, one shot ahead of compatriot Kennedy who slipped to tied-15th following a frustrating 73 with Michael Hendry of New Zealand (68).

First round leader Anthony Quayle failed to replicate the form that saw him blitz the course with an opening 61, adding a pair of 73 and 72 from the energy-sapping 32-hole play.

He is in tied-21st place alongside reigning JGTO number one Chan Kim of the United States. 

Iwata marked his scorecard with an eagle, five birdies, and two bogeys to seize the lead with a 65 and could be in line to become the only third player to successfully defend the title in the tournament history.

Since its inception in 1960, only the legendary Isao Aoki (1978-1980) and Masashi 'Jumbo' Ozaki (1995-1997) achieved the feat.

But Iwata can expect stiff competition for the top honour with as many as 13 players beneath him, separated by just a five-shot margin.

Among them are Jinichiro Kozuma, the Token Homemate Cup winner (T3, 201), last week's ISPS Handa Championship winner Yuto Katsuragawa and world No. 1 amateur Keita Nakajima (T6, 203) and Ryo Ishikawa (T11, 204), who famously overturned a six-shot deficit with a record-breaking 58 to snatch the title in 2010.