Former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen was among a massive group of players in contention for the Ballantine’s Championship as the delayed tournament looked to get back on track.
After weather delays on the opening two days, the second round was completed yesterday morning at Blackstone Golf Club, with Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat completing a superb 66 to join compatriot Arnond Vongvanij and Australian Wade Ormsby in the lead.
Oosthuizen was three shots back after rounds of 69 and 71, but the world number seven who made the journey from Florida to South Korea in a private jet laid on by the tournament sponsors picked up three birdies in his first five holes.
At seven under par he joined a seven-way tie for the lead, with a total of 34 players within four shots of the lead.
Aphibarnrat, winner of the Malaysian Open last month, had briefly led on his own after recovering from a poor drive on the par-five first to make a birdie, only to bogey the second after another wayward tee-shot.
Ormsby, who finally won his first professional event on the Asian Tour in India last month, had opened with three straight pars. Vongvanij had dropped back to six under after a bogey on the second.
Korea’s Heung-chol Joo, ranked 916th in the world, was giving the home fans something to cheer about, recovering from a bogey on the first with four birdies in a row from the third to join the leaders on seven under.