There was a touch of nostalgia as Jeunghun Wang fired a bogey-free two-under-par 70 to move into a share of the lead on five under after day two of the Philippine Golf Championship presented by the Philippine Sports Commission at Wack Wack Golf & Country Club in Manila.
It marked a return to a venue where he made his Asian Tour debut 15 years ago as a 16-year-old amateur.
Wang is joined at the top by compatriot Wooyoung Cho (70), Thailand’s first-round leader Sarut Vongchaisit (71) and Australia’s Travis Smyth (69) in the season-opening Asian Tour event. South African Ian Snyman (68) and American Marcus Plunkett (70) sit one shot back on four under.
Cho drew level with Wang with a birdie on the ninth, his final hole, while Sarut recovered from a shaky start to post four birdies and stay in contention. Smyth briefly held the outright lead after an eagle on the par-five 15th before a late bogey dropped him back into the pack.
The cut fell at four over on a demanding East Course that rewarded accuracy over power, underlining the tough test faced by the field as the tournament heads into the weekend.