Staff WriterThe Singapore Open has reached the halfway mark with Korea’s Jeongwoo Ham sitting where few expected him to be: alone at the top, looking remarkably calm on a golf course that usually treats comfort like an unpaid parking ticket.
Ham carded a three-under-par 68 on Sentosa Golf Club’s demanding Serapong Course to reach 10-under, two shots clear of Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, who knows this place rather well, having won here in 2019.
Behind them, India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar and Japan’s Tomohiro Ishizaka share third on seven-under after matching rounds of 68, with Australia’s Jack Thompson a shot further back in outright fifth.
For a leaderboard at the fourth Asian Tour event of the season, and one carrying International Series weight, it has all the right ingredients: a surprise leader, a former champion looming, an 11-time winner beginning to sniff opportunity, and a golf course that asks awkward questions from the opening tee.
Ham Keeps His Head While Others Slip
Ham began the second round sharing the lead with Thailand’s Ekpharit Wu, but by day’s end their paths had gone in opposite directions. Wu slipped away with a 75, while Ham kept nudging the ball around Serapong with the air of a man not entirely sure how loud the alarm bells should be.
This is not familiar territory for the 31-year-old Korean, at least not outside his home circuit. Ham has played only seven Asian Tour events beyond Korea, with his best finish a tie for 29th at International Series Japan two weeks ago.
That may be about to change rather violently.
“It wasn’t like yesterday, today I didn’t make many mistakes,” said Ham, who has been a professional since 2018. “Compared to yesterday a lot of the putts didn’t go in, but I played patiently. Feeling very satisfied now.”
That patience was the difference. Ham made four birdies, including one at the par-five 18th, and dropped just one shot at the 15th. It was not a round of fireworks. More a careful dismantling job with the odd screwdriver left in the rough.
He added: “At critical moments I made the putts and made use of the chances. My irons weren’t as good, my accuracy not great but I think I made putts at critical moments.”
That is usually how good tournament rounds are built: not by perfection, but by refusing to let the imperfect bits start driving the bus.
Jazz Finds His Rhythm Again At Serapong
If Ham is the surprise, Jazz Janewattananond is the familiar threat. The Thai star signed for a 66 to move to eight-under, and there is a dangerous glint about him this week.
Jazz won the Singapore Open on this very course in 2019, the same season he went on to secure the Asian Tour Order of Merit title. He finished that winning week at 18-under, helped by a pair of weekend 65s that turned Serapong into a personal playground.
Now he is back, two shots behind, and sounding like a man delighted to be reacquainted with an old friend.
“It’s great coming back here,” said the seven-time winner on the Asian Tour. “I’ve been wishing and waiting for the Singapore Open to come back here. The last time I was back here was the 2020 edition. I didn’t come here for the 2022 edition. But just been missing this place a lot, the golf course is always in great shape. I mean, it’s one of the best golf courses in Asia, and it suits my eyes, so I can’t really complain.”
There are courses that fit a golfer like a well-cut jacket. Serapong appears to do that for Jazz, especially off the tee, where the visual lines give him confidence rather than indigestion.
“Still not in the autopilot mode, but the tee shots kind of fit my eye here even if it’s a little different off the tee or little different wind. When I’m standing on the tee, it still looks quite nice to me. There are some courses which just do not suit me at all, but this golf course does, and I like the shape of it,” he said.
That should worry everyone above and around him. Jazz does not need autopilot here. A decent sat-nav and a warm putter may be enough.
Bhullar Moves Into Striking Range
Gaganjeet Bhullar is not the sort of name anyone wants lurking on a leaderboard. The Indian has 11 Asian Tour titles, a swing built for hard scoring, and enough experience to know that tournaments are rarely won on Friday but can very much be lost there.
His 68 included two birdies in the final three holes, a tidy late surge that moved him into shared third with Ishizaka.
“I’ve not been playing so many events. But I mean, it feels good to be on the first page of the leaderboard, definitely feels good,” he said.
Bhullar’s game has been threatening to click for some time, and Sentosa may yet be the place where the numbers finally match the feel.
“I thought I played really well last year, but the scores were not coming at the right time. So probably this week, I’ll try to do my routine and process and try and give my 100%.”
That may sound simple, but in tournament golf, “routine and process” is often code for not letting your brain turn into a blender when the leaderboard starts flashing your name.
Local Hopes Make Their Mark
Further down the Singapore Open leaderboard, local interest remains strong. Amateur Brayden Lee and Ryan Ang are the leading Singaporeans, tied for 19th on three-under.
Lee, who finished as the leading local player last year, posted a 68, while Ang added a 69. For Lee, Sentosa is familiar ground, but familiarity at Serapong does not mean the course suddenly starts handing out sweets.
“I’m lucky to be an adopted member here, a sponsored player, so I do spend most of my time around here. It’s a really tough course, because it’s very demanding off the tee and the greens are huge and undulating. So, you know, you never know what you get.”
That is Serapong in a sentence. Huge greens, yes. Easy greens, absolutely not. It is the sort of course where a decent approach can still leave a putt with the emotional range of a tax audit.
Lee’s Singapore amateur team-mate Troy Storm also made it through to the weekend after a 71 left him on the cut line at one-over.
A Weekend Set Up For Nerves, Noise And Opportunity
With Ham at 10-under, Jazz two behind, Bhullar and Ishizaka tucked neatly into contention, and Thompson sitting four off the lead, the Singapore Open has a proper weekend shape to it.
Ham has the lead, but not the résumé in this particular arena. Jazz has the memories, the course fit, and the scent of something familiar. Bhullar has the pedigree. Ishizaka and Thompson have enough room to cause trouble.
The Serapong Course will decide how much of this leaderboard is fact and how much is Friday night optimism. It demands accuracy off the tee, patience into the greens, and a putting touch that does not panic at the sight of slope.
For fans following from afar, The International Series has also launched a new website and app, offering live leaderboards, player rankings and tournament coverage.
But the real theatre is still between the ropes at Sentosa, where Ham now has two rounds to turn surprise into statement. He has done the hard part by getting into position.
Now comes the uncomfortable bit: staying there while proven winners start breathing down his collar.
