Iwata's on a roll despite late setback

Hiroshi Iwata stayed firmly in contention for his second JGTO title in as many starts after battling to a one-under-par 70 on Friday to remain tied for the lead at the midway point of the Hana Bank Invitational in Gangwon, South Korea.

The 43-year-old, fresh off his sixth JGTO victory at last week's BMW Japan Golf Tour Mori Building Cup, would have finished the day at Nam Chun Cheon Country Club in an even better position atop the leaderboard had he not double-bogeyed the final hole.

Iwata made a bright start to his second round after teeing off on the 10th hole, birdieing the 11th, 17th, and 18th to reach the turn with a three-shot advantage. 

While he added another birdie at the second, his flawless week was eventually tarnished when he recorded his first bogey of the week at the third. 

However, worse trouble awaited on the ninth, his final hole, where he lost his ball, resulting in a costly double bogey. 

Despite that late setback, Iwata's fine effort earlier in the round was enough to keep him at the summit heading into the weekend of the thrilling JGTO and KPGA showdown.

Iwata was joined at seven-under 135 atop the leaderboard by compatriot Tsubasa Ukita and South Korea's Lee Sang-hee. 

Ukita, seeking his first JGTO victory, carded a 68 that included six birdies and three bogeys, improving his position by six spots.

Lee, a four-time winner on the KPGA Tour, vaulted up the leaderboard from tied-25th after a stellar 66 that featured six birdies against just one bogey.

Iwata explained that he struggled to get his approach shots close to the pins - an issue he vowed to improve upon in the pivotal weekend rounds.

"Things didn't go very well today. Most of the time I was having to make long putts, probably due to the tough pin positions," said Iwata. 

"I couldn't execute my shots or putts the way I wanted. I'll reflect on today's performance, practice, and make the necessary adjustments."

Ukita, in his second full season on Tour, was delighted that improved driving accuracy had helped put him in a share of the lead at the halfway point.

The 23-year-old will be hoping to capitalise on his solid start and claim his breakthrough victory. 

Despite being a newcomer, Ukita is no stranger to topping the leaderboard, having shared the first-round lead on three occasions last year. 

However, his best career result so far is a tie for third at the Kansai Open.

"Lately in Japan, I've been struggling with my driver, but this week the fade shot is working well for me. I've been hitting a lot of fairways which has helped create many birdie opportunities," said Ukita. 
 
"After two days, I feel really good about my game. My goal for tomorrow is to consistently keep my tee shots in the fairway."

Leading second round scores:
135: Hiroshi Iwata 65-70, Lee Sang-hee (Kor) 69-66, Tsubasa Ukita 67-68;
136: Park Eun-shin (Kor) 67-69, Lee Dong-hwan (Kor) 69-67, Takashi Ogiso 67-69;
137: Jang Dong-kyu (Kor) 69-68, Kang Yun-seok (Kor) 67-70;
138: Taiki Yoshida 66-72, Lee Jung-hwan (Kor) 68-70, Kazuki Higa 67-71, Kim Han-byeol (Kor) 67-71, Kim Seng-yong (Kor) 66-72, Yuta Sugiura 67-71, Song Young-han (Kor) 68-70, Kim Jin-sung (Kor) 68-70.