Koreans Seo, Sohn set the pace at Queen Sirikit Cup

Koreans Seo, Sohn set the pace at Queen Sirikit Cup

Glenelg Golf Club, site of the Queen Sirikit Cup (Queen Sirikit photo)

A pair of Korean players are 1-2 on the Queen Sirikit Cup leaderboard after 36 holes of the championship in Adelaide, South Australia. Uhjin Seo has the lead at 6 under and Ye-Been Sohn is right behind her at 4 under. The two flip-flopped after the first round.

Seo used a 5-under 68 to climb to the top of the leaderboard in Round 2 at Glenelg Golf Club. That included an eagle on the par-5 closing hole. She had opened with three birdies in her first four holes. Seo plays mostly in Korea, and had wins last year at the Maekyung Amateur and the Hosim Cup.

As for Sohn, back-to-back rounds of 2-under 71 have left her firmly within striking distance of her compatriot. Sohn’s second-round score was impressively consistent – she had just two birdies and nothing else on the day.

The event showcases the up-and-coming talent in the Asia-Pacific region, with recent winners including Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul, who won the inaugural Women’s Asia-Pacific Amateur following her 2018 Sirikit victory, and Hye-jin Choi, the Korean who made a run at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open trophy.

Several notable names lurk near the top of the leaderboard. Australian Doey Choi, who flirted with a professional win 10 days ago at the Australian Ladies Classic, is 1 under and tied for fourth after rounds of 75-70. Her compatriot, Steph Kyriacou, is T-9 four shots back. Kyriacou won the Master of the Amateurs women’s title to start 2019.

Arizona senior Bianca Pagdanganan of the Philippines is solo sixth after rounds of 75-71. Pagdanganan was instrumental in Arizona’s national title last spring.