Bi-O posts second straight OneAsia victory

JEJU ISLAND, South Korea: Kim Bi-O held his nerve to secure a second OneAsia victory in a row and leap to the top of the Order of Merit with a three-shot victory in the SK Telecom Open yesterday.
The 21-year-old home favorite fired rounds of 68-68-67-67 for an 18-under-par total 270 around Pinx Golf Club on the South Korean holiday island of Jeju, beating compatriot Park Sang-Hyun into sole second place.
Kim took home a winners check of about $170,000, bringing his earnings on OneAsia to nearly $250,000 in 2012.
It was his third OneAsia title following a five-shot triumph in last week’s GS Caltex Maekyung Open and a play-off victory at last year’s Nanshan China Masters.
Kim had seen his two-stroke overnight lead evaporate when Park, playing in the group ahead, scored three birdies and an eagle on his first four holes. He made the turn in just 30 and then eagled the 10th to move two strokes clear.
“I could hear a few roars up front, but I’m kind of glad I had no idea what was going on,” Kim told One Asia.
“I think if I knew how he was playing, what he was doing, I would probably have tried to be a bit more aggressive — and that could have been dangerous.”
The tide turned back in Kim’s favor in a half-hour spell over the closing holes.
After making birdie on the 14th, he hit an aggressive second shot on the par-five 16th behind a thick clump of grass, in deep rough, before pulling off a miraculous rescue that landed the ball four feet from the pin, which he converted for another birdie.
Ahead on the par-three 17th, Park put his tee shot in a greenside bunker and splashed out too far, making bogey for a two-shot swing.
A disconsolate Park saw any remaining hopes of victory evaporate with a bogey on the 18th, while Kim closed out with a routine par to claim the traditional red jacket.
“It’s a great feeling to be playing so well,” said Kim, who at 20 was the youngest player on the PGA circuit in 2011, but lost his card at the end of the year and is back playing the Nationwide Tour.
The 16-year-old amateur Kim Si-Woo closed with a two-under-par round to share third place with another South Korean, Joo Heung-Chol.
PGA Tour veteran K.J. Choi, a three-time winner in Jeju, finished four under for the tournament in joint 13th place.
The next event on OneAsia is the $1 million Thailand Open from Aug.t 9 to 12.

Dufner stays one ahead at Byron Nelson
In Irving, Texas, American Jason Dufner kept his composure after a slow start to move one stroke clear of a congested leaderboard in Saturday’s wind-buffeted third round of the Byron Nelson Championship.
Overnight leader Dufner, who clinched his maiden PGA Tour victory at the New Orleans Classic three weeks ago, carded a one-under-par 69 at the TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas for an eight-under total of 202.
The 35-year-old was one of five players tied for the lead late in the day but he made no mistakes in gusting winds after recording a birdie at the 14th while his closest challengers slipped back.
Australian Jason Day, champion here in 2010, three-putted the last for a 67 to slide back to seven under, level with Americans JJ Henry (67) and Dicky Pride (69).
Fijian former world No. 1 Vijay Singh was a further stroke back after firing a five-birdie 66.
Dufner began the day with a one-shot lead but he squandered that with a bogey at the par-four third.
However, the laid-back American with the distinctive pre-shot waggle birdied the sixth to reach the turn in even-par 35.
At one point, Dufner shared the lead with Day, Pride, Marc Leishman and world number five Matt Kuchar but his birdie at the 14th was good enough to give him a one-stroke cushion going into Sunday’s final round.
American world No. 10 Phil Mickelson carded a 69 to lie six strokes off the pace at two under, one better than former world number one Ernie Els of South Africa, after a 70.