Baek finds form to enter the mix

American Todd Baek powered into contention at the halfway stage of the Token Homemate Cup after producing another steady round of three-under-par 68 to climb to tied fourth at the halfway stage on Friday.

The 30-year-old Baek, seeking his breakthrough JGTO victory, sank five birdies to offset two bogeys at the Token Tado Country Club Nagoya for a two-day total of five-under-par 137 - two shots adrift leader Jinichiro Kozuma.

Kozuma, the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters winner last year, opened a one-shot lead over Ryuko Tokimatsu and Rikuya Hoshino after signing for a 69. He could have led by two had he not bogeyed the 18th. Another American, Chan Kim, also held it steady on a tough day to return with a 70 to tie for ninth spot and stay four shots off the pace.

Baek has been performing consistently in the latter part of last season, where he impressed with seven top 20 finishes out of his last eight starts of the year. He came closest to victory at the Japan Players Championship by Sato Shokuhin with a joint runner-up finish.

"I played it solid today, three-under through nine holes and then chipped in on the 10th," said Baek, a two-time winner on ABEMA TV Tour.

"Unfortunately, I had a mud ball on 11, which went way offline, and I made bogey there. I couldn't gain further ground until when I birdied again on 17.

"It was super cold this morning, and the condition was playing tough out there. Overall, I'm happy with where I am. I'm certainly looking forward to contending for my first JGTO win, as I had a few chances last year. It's been a good journey here," added Baek.

Kim remains upbeat for the weekend despite being pegged back by yet another bogey at the last hole. This time, it was on the 18th.

"I hit it a little better today. It's just that a couple of shots I didn't hit it very well, but I had my putting to thank for as it saved the day for me again today!" said Kim, who topped the JGTO money list last season. 

"If only I hit it much better, then I could have had a better score. Actually, I haven't really played well here at the Token Homemate Cup. I just hung in there, and being in a good position for the weekend really means a lot to me," said Kim.

Australian Brendan Jones carded a 72 to keep his hopes afloat of winning the tournament for a record third time.

Jones was delighted with how things panned out for him, although he didn't have the best preparations for the week due to quarantine.

"Overall, it's been quite positive," said Jones, who won the tournament in 2012 and 2019.

"I haven't played a lot of golf, so it feels great to come back to the place I had a lot of success. My preparations for this week were not the best due to quarantine, and I didn't get a practice round.

"It was a little bit scrappy, but at least I'm still there for the weekend," said the Australian.