Seongnam: Finland's Janne Kaske broke the stranglehold of the locals by firing a superb five-under-par 66 to grab a share of the halfway lead while birthday boy Phachara Khongwatmai of Thailand lurked two shots behind at the Maekyung Open Golf Championship yesterday.
After signing for an opening 70, Kaske nailed six birdies against a bogey at the Namseoul Country Club to move atop the South Korean-dominated leaderboard where he sat alongside overnight co-leader Lee Tae-Hee of South Korea (69) on six-under 136.
Local prospects Seo Yo-Seop and Park Jun-Won trailed the leading duo by one shot in third place following respective rounds of 69 and 68 at the US$1,067,000 event.
Phachara, who turned 20 yesterday, posted a commendable 68 to settle for a share of fifth place on 138 with Choi Go-Woong of South Korea.
The young Thai talent is the only foreigner after Kaske to sit inside the top 10 after 36 holes.
"I got off to a very good start. I played really well on the front nine but not as good on the back nine. I made a lot of bogeys there but I also made birdies," Phachara said.
"Overall, I putted very well today. I think that is why I played well. No chip-ins or long putts -- I just hit it close and made some putts.
"I just want to stick to my game plan for the next two rounds and keep things the same. Anything can happen on this course."
Kaske, who started from the 10th hole, chipped in for birdie on the 12th before reeling in six consecutive pars to turn in 34.
A birdie on the first sparked a hot run for the 32-year-old as he went on to sink three consecutive birdies from the third.
Despite stumbling with a bogey on the sixth, Kaske kept his cool and bounced back swiftly with an impressive birdie on the next, where he rolled in a 30-footer downhill from back edge of the green. "It's my first time in South Korea. I think this course suits my game. It's a ball-striking course. I am not playing aggressive out there. I just try and take care of the par-fives. That has been my goal. A lot of times, I am not even trying to hit it close to the flags," he said.
