What are the odds of making an eagle on a par four while playing golf? Few, right? And how many are there of doing it in a professional tournament valid for the two best circuits in the world? Even fewer, right? Well, imagine how ‘impossible’ it is to do it twice in the same event, on two consecutive days, and both times on the same hole. That’s what the American of South Korean origin Chan Kim (-11) has achieved to remain the solo leader for the second consecutive day at the ISCO Championship.
The golfer from Suwon ‘destroyed’ the Championship Course at the Hurstbourne Country Club in Louisville, Kentucky, yesterday with the best card of his professional career, a tremendous 61 featuring an eagle on the 4th hole, holing out from the fairway, over 120 metres from the flag. This Friday, at that same flag, his drive from the tee was much more precise, attempting to attack the green on this short risk-reward par four. And although he didn’t succeed, he holed out again on his second shot, an approach from the fairway over 32 metres from the pin.
Even Chan Kim was shocked by this eagle @ISCOChamp 😳 pic.twitter.com/XcHohEUmgL
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 11, 2025
If his great round on Thursday allowed him to head to the Clubhouse with a four-shot lead, one of the largest advantages in recent times in a first round of a PGA Tour tournament, his eagle today, starting from the 10th tee, was the beginning of a fantastic end to the round, playing his last six holes of the course in four under par to deliver a card of 68 strokes that allows him to increase his lead in the standings while ‘eliminating’ opponents.
Only Vince Whaley (-6), Thomas Rosenmueller (-6) , and Kris Ventura (-6) manage to follow Kim’s trail from afar, tied in second place five shots back. The 129 strokes with which the leader has completed the first two rounds of the tournament are, with a two-shot margin, the best result over 36 holes of his career on the PGA Tour, ahead of the 131 he signed last year at the American Express and the John Deere Classic. Starting the week in 103rd place in the FedEx, if he manages to maintain his level in the last two rounds and wins on Sunday, he will make a giant leap towards next month’s playoffs.
For the Spaniards, this second round of the ISCO Championship has been, with one exception, a day to forget. Manuel Elvira (-3), who started the tournament yesterday with 68 strokes, has played under par again, delivering a card of 69 strokes, with four birdies and three bogeys, allowing him to climb five places on the leaderboard and position himself among the top 20, far from the leader but just a couple of shots from the top 5. He is the only one of the six members of the Armada present in Louisville who reaches the weekend with a chance to achieve a significant result.
Ángel Ayora (PAR), in a terrible start to Friday with five over par in his first six holes, squandered his great tournament start that had placed him among the top five yesterday, in the fight for victory. He will have the weekend ahead to try to regain his form, as will Iván Cantero (+1), who made the cut just barely (rounds of 71 and 70 strokes). Those who have to pack their bags earlier than they would have liked are Joel Moscatel (+3), Alfredo García-Heredia (+4), and Rafa Cabrera Bello (+7).
