Hur In-hoi takes 3-shot lead after 3rd round at Herald-KYJ

Hur In-hoi took the lead from Kim Gi-hwan in the third round of the Herald-KYJ Tour Championship Thursday.

Hur kept up his good form, which had driven him to the second spot on Wednesday at the tour’s closing tournament at Lotte Skyhill Golf Club in Seogwipo on Jejudo island.

He carded four birdies and one eagle against a bogey and a double bogey to climb a spot to the top place with 11-under 205.

The 26-year-old came into the spotlight Wednesday by setting the course record of 5 under, which he himself established as an amateur in 2005.

“My shots were great in the first nine, but they did not go well in the second nine after I became too conscious of leading the others,” Hur said. “I shot out of bounds and double bogeyed on the 13th hole. I regret it.”

However, he made up with an eagle in the 15th. He holed a 12-meter eagle putt.

“I regard the three rounds so far as practice rounds to do my utmost in the final round tomorrow.”

His name has been little noticed since debuting on the Korea Tour in 2008. Dubbed a “lazy genius” or “ill-fated amateur,” he has been overshadowed by money leader Kang Sung-hoon and national team members.

“I am not the type who immerses himself in practice. I don’t mean that I don’t practice at all, but I don’t practice much. I concentrate but finish practice in a short time,” he said.

He won 23 times as an amateur and was often ranked high on the leader board after turning pro. He topped other amateurs but failed to make the national team for the 2006 Doha Asian Games with poor showings in tryouts.

Shocked and dispirited, Hur didn’t give golf the time of day at all for two years.

Though he kept distance from practice, it did not take him a long time to capture a win. In 2008, when he made his Korean Tour debut, he won Philos Open championship.

But his second win hasn’t come yet.

Kim Tae-hoon, who Hur cited as a toughest rival together with Kim Hyung-tae, rose from 18th to second place, shooting a remarkable 7-under 65 Thursday for a three-day total of 8-under 208. He rallied with eight birdies against the lone bogey.

“I had two tough rounds because it’s my first time to play at this golf club. But I am getting used to some extent,” Kim said. “I was able to read the green better than before today.”

Kim Hyung-tae, who dropped out of the leading pack Wednesday, jumped to share the third spot with Yoon Jung-ho and Kim Gi-hwan at a three-day total of 7-under 209.

By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)