Jeongwoo Ham Pimpin Klasemen Singapore Open hingga Putaran Ketiga

Pegolf asal Korea Selatan Jeongwoo Ham mempertahankan posisi puncak klasemen Singapore Open 2026 di Sentosa Golf Club pada Sabtu (25/4/2026) setelah mencatatkan skor 68 atau tiga di bawah par.

Hasil tersebut membuat Ham mengantongi total 13 di bawah par dan unggul empat pukulan atas pesaing terdekatnya, Cameron John dari Australia, dalam turnamen International Series berhadiah total 2 juta dolar AS ini.

Ham tampil konsisten selama tiga hari berturut-turut di lapangan The Serapong yang dikenal sulit, terutama saat melakukan birdie di lubang ke-13 dan ke-14 untuk memperlebar jarak keunggulan.

Dominasi pemain berusia 31 tahun tersebut diwarnai dengan akurasi putting yang tajam meski harus menghadapi cuaca panas dan lembap di Singapura.

"It feels great because my name is always on the top and the other players aren’t overtaking me. I hope it stays that way tomorrow," kata Ham.

Ia juga menjelaskan bahwa tidak ada rahasia khusus pada permainannya selain memanfaatkan kondisi green yang dinilainya sangat sempurna.

"There’s no secret to my putting, really. The greens are just perfect. There isn’t much I pay attention to when I’m putting, but I just make sure I get it done quickly because of the heat," ujar Ham.

Ham yang baru bermain di 24 ajang Asian Tour kini mengincar tiket kualifikasi menuju turnamen Major The Open Championship di Royal Birkdale melalui posisi dua teratas di ajang ini.

"My new goal is to not hit 90 tomorrow," gurau Ham.

Terkait peluang mendapatkan tiket ke turnamen Major tertua di dunia tersebut, Ham mengaku tetap bersikap realistis mengenai hasilnya nanti.

"I do want a spot in The Open, but in life, just because you want something it doesn’t mean you’ll get it. Life’s like that — if I get the spot, great, but if not, then it’s OK," tambah Ham.

Di posisi kedua, Cameron John mencatatkan skor 67 meski baru saja pulih dari gejala flu yang sempat mengganggu fisiknya selama satu setengah minggu terakhir.

"I played well in Japan a few weeks ago, then had a week off at home. I wasn’t feeling the best physically, but I got over that quite quickly," ujar John.

John memilih bermain lebih sabar di lapangan Serapong dengan tidak terlalu sering menggunakan driver dibandingkan strategi biasanya.

"I got sick after Japan, had the flu, and it knocked me around for about a week and a half. But I’ve come good just in time, which is nice," kata John.

Ia merasa senang dengan manajemen permainannya sejauh ini dan tetap fokus untuk menjaga ritme di putaran final.

"This is a strong golf course, so it’s about being patient. I probably don’t usually play this type of course as patiently as I have this week. I’d normally hit more drivers, but I’m happy with how I’ve managed my way around it so far," tutur John.

Sementara itu, pegolf Prancis Julien Sale menempati posisi keempat dengan skor 69 dan mulai memikirkan peluang lolos ke turnamen Major.

"Yeah, I mean, obviously there’s The Open spot in the back of the mind, so I’ll see that at the end of the run tomorrow. But I’m just gonna try to keep going, as I did the first three rounds. Didn’t really have a score in mind. Just try to execute my process, stay hydrated and try to do the best I can. Try to beat the course. If you can beat the course, it’s gonna be a good day tomorrow," ujar Sale.

Gaganjeet Bhullar dari India bertahan di posisi lima besar meski mengalami kesulitan di lubang ketiga yang berujung pada double bogey.

"That was unfortunate. I hit a good drive; it was in the first cut, and the lie was fine. I had about 210 yards with a five-iron, but made a poor swing and pulled it left," ujar Bhullar.

Bhullar sempat mencoba bangkit dengan birdie di lubang keempat dan kesembilan untuk meminimalkan dampak kesalahan di awal putaran.

"From there, I ended up in a tricky spot near the bunker with no proper stance for my fourth shot. I managed to get it to about 10 feet but missed the putt," kata Bhullar.

Pegolf India tersebut tetap optimistis mengejar ketertinggalan tujuh pukulan dari pemimpin klasemen pada putaran final besok.

"Overall, with 18 holes to go, I’ll keep my head down, get some lunch, and spend some time working on my putting," ucap Bhullar.