The pair lead on 11-under-par here at the Hong Kong Golf Club, with Bae recording a 63, after the morning session was completed.

American Micah Laurent Shin (63), Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana (64) and Harrison Crowe (65) from Australia are one shot back, in the penultimate leg of this year’s International Series.

Smith admitted he wasn’t quite at his best today despite nailing six birdies with two bogeys.

“It was a lot tougher [today],” said the 2022 Open winner, who made three birdies on the trot from the first.

Sangmoon Bae. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

“Early alarm this morning, body wasn’t quite working. But you know, it was alright, it was a little bit scrappy, to be honest. It was good to get out of there with three or four under there.”

His two round total is already three shots better than when he finished ninth here in 2014, the only other time he has played in the event.

He added: “I’d like to think that I improve every year. You know, that was a long time ago, I probably didn’t hit the ball as far, and I probably didn’t do anything as good as what I’m doing at the moment. So yeah, completely different scenario and hopefully I can keep improving.”

Bae, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, registered an eagle, seven birdies and two bogeys.

Said the Korean, who is making his first appearance here since 2007: “It was a really good round, I mean I started with bogey on my first hole, it was a little disappointing but after that I tried to really focus on my game, and it came back.”

“I really liked this course; this is a really tricky rough and the greens are really fast. So really, you need to hit the right spots from the second shot, so it’s more of an iron shot course and I really like it.”

His fine start to the tournament has ratified his decision to be here this week.

“I was in the field in Bermuda on the PGA Tour this week, but I made a decision to play in China, here, and maybe Indonesia next week, so I think it was a really good decision,” he said.

“And, you know, I’m trying to find my game, and so far it’s really good. I mean, the putting is good, iron shots are good so I’m really excited to play on the weekend.”

His compatriot Yubin Jang carded a 67 and is in sixth place on nine under.

Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho looked to be heading for an early exit but birdied his last two holes to shoot a 68 and move to two under for the event, which should see him through to the weekend.

He said: “Pretty rough first few holes I would say. Didn’t quite pick the right shots at the right times. And made some poor swings so that compounded errors.

Sadom Kaewkanjana. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

“But I am really happy I was able to stay in the present at all times. I was quite far out of the tournament, but I stayed disciplined to my game plan. I was really happy to finish mentally strong.”

Main image: Asian Tour

The post Smith and Bae share halfway clubhouse lead at Hong Kong Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
European Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington has withdrawn from the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am after testing positive for COVID-19, the PGA Tour announced Tuesday.

He will be replaced in the field by first alternate Sangmoon Bae.

Harrington, 49, has continued to play a full-time schedule as he evaluates candidates for his team that will take on the Americans at Whistling Straits on Sept. 24-26.

Harrington is the latest scratch from a field at Pebble Beach that is missing some of its usual star power. With Dustin Johnson’s withdrawal on Monday evening after his victory last week at the Saudi International, there is not a single top-10 player in the field and just three among the top 20 of the World Ranking. This year’s event is also being played without the usual amateur/celebrity component and with no fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A three-time major winner, Harrington will have three captain’s picks to fill out his roster, while his American counterpart Steve Stricker will have six. The nine automatic qualifiers for the European side will be comprised of the leading four players on the European Points list, which is determined by a player’s finishes on the European Tour, and the leading five members not otherwise qualified on the World Points list, which corresponds to the amount of world ranking points a player has earned. Both captains will make their captain’s picks a few weeks before the event.

Harrington finished T-6 in last month’s Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour but does not have a top-10 on the PGA Tour since January 2016.

Thanks very much for everyone’s well wishes. At the moment I’ve just the symptoms of a cold. If it doesn’t get any worse I’ll take that as a piece of good luck. https://t.co/Ka5fMCpDxn

— Padraig Harrington (@padraig_h) February 9, 2021

The post Padraig Harrington tests positive for COVID-19, out of AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
Last Friday at Muirfield Village, some were quick to describe Bryson DeChambeau’s epic 10 at the par-5 15th as Bryson going full “Tin Cup.” The only problem with that comparison was that, unlike the ending of the Kevin Costner movie, there was no water involved. DeChambeau kept reloading, yes, but his golf ball kept finding someone’s backyard rather than a watery grave.

RELATED: Bo Van Pelt makes nonchalant ace at 3M Open

A true “Tin Cup” happened on Thursday at the 3M Open, where South Korea’s Sangmoon Bae almost went full Roy McAvoy at the par-5 ninth hole at TPC Twin Cities. At four over on his round, things appeared to get even uglier for Bae as he rinsed his tee shot in the water down the right side. Then Bae took a drop in the fairway, 250 yards from the green, and deposited another ball. Woof.

Now, Bae was hitting his fifth from the exact same spot, 250 yards away. This time, instead of finding the drink again, his ball found the bottom of the cup for what may very well be the greatest par in the history of professional golf:

At 18th hole in Rd.1 @3MOpen, Sangmoon Bae sets ShotLink-era record by holing out for par from 250 yards.

Previous longest hole-out for par was Steven Bowditch/2011 RBC Heritage, Rd.1, hole #4, 176 yards. pic.twitter.com/4vqP4gXjLp

— Mike McAllister (@PGATOUR_mikemc) July 23, 2020

Seriously, it was already in the running for greatest par ever before finding out it was indeed the longest par hole-out in the ShotLink era. If there was a greatest par debate, it’s now over.

The post This is it, this is the greatest par save in the history of professional golf appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Sangmoon Bae’s return to the PGA Tour this season did not go as planned, finishing 202nd in the FedEx Cup standings to lose his PGA Tour card. Luckily for Bae, following a short detour to the Web.com Tour Finals, he’ll be back on the big stage in 2019. With a birdie on the final hole at Hillcrest Country Club, Bae won the Albertsons Boise Open to regain his PGA Tour card.

Golf fans may remember the plight of Bae at the end of 2015. He had turned in the best season of his professional career, winning the Frys.com (now Safeway) Open, accumulating nearly $2.6 million in earnings and competing for the International Team at the Presidents Cup, held in his native country of South Korea. However, Bae’s homeland requires all males 18-to-35 to complete a two-year military commitment. After losing a court battle seeking a wavier, Bae was forced to set aside the sport for service.

WIN: Places in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Omega Dubai Desert Classic and Omega Dubai Ladies Classic Pro-Ams

Bae returned to golf last fall, and played on tour with full status for the 2017-18 season through a Family Crisis and Major Medical exemption. Unfortunately for Bae, the rust from the sabbatical was clear. He made just five cuts in 17 starts, with a lone top-25 finish. Worst, the 32-year-old battled a wrist injury throughout the summer, hampering his comeback.

But he showed signs of life in the second Web.com playoff event, posting a T-6 at the DAP Championship. Bae enjoyed his breakthrough in Idaho this week, firing rounds of 65, 67, 67 and 66 to take the title.

With in the win, Bae becomes the Web.com Tour Finals’ money leader. If he finishes in first, he earns full exempt status for 2019, as well as a spot in the 2019 Players Championship.

The circuit finishes up next week with the Web.com Tour Championship at Atlantic Beach Country Club in Florida.

The post Sangmoon Bae, months after return from two-year military stint, wins Boise Open to regain PGA Tour card appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.