The second day of competition at the Faldo Series Asia 2025 Grand Final witnessed an impressive surge from the representatives from South Korea. After a relatively quiet first round, the trio of Park Jae-min, Yang Hyo-jin, and Kim Min-seo all made strong moves up the leaderboard.
Park Jae-min made his mark with a round of 66 (-5), the best score of the day. Yang Hyo-jin followed closely with a 67, while Kim Min-seo completed her round with a 68. Notably, Kim played without dropping a single shot, becoming the only golfer of the day to maintain a bogey-free round.
After two days of play, Park temporarily holds second place on the overall leaderboard with a total score of -5 (137 strokes), just two shots behind the home favorite, Nguyen Tuan Anh. Tuan Anh continued his steady performance with a round of 70, following his excellent start of 65 on the first day.
Yang Hyo-jin currently shares third place with Vietnamese golfer Ho Anh Huy at -4 (138), while Kim Min-seo is tied for sixth with 141 strokes (-1).
Beyond the overall competition, Park is currently leading the Boys U16 category, and Yang is temporarily heading the Girls U16 leaderboard. The South Korean team is putting on an impressive display and hopes to bring home their nation’s first title at a Faldo Series Asia Grand Final.
“Our athletes are all playing well and are feeling very confident” shared Mr. Won Ko, the captain of the South Korean team.
Park – currently ranked 428th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) – quickly closed the gap on the leader by carding four birdies in the first five holes. He completed the front nine in 32 strokes and maintained his steady form with two more birdies on the back nine.
Ranked 61st on the WAGR, 17-year-old Yang Hyo-jin continued to demonstrate her resilience with a spectacular comeback for the second consecutive day. On day one, she recovered from being +4 after 14 holes to finish the round at even-par (71). On the second day, after being +1 through the first 10 holes, she reeled off five birdies in the final eight holes, including a chip-in from about 9 meters for birdie on the 16th hole.
Kim Min-seo, after an opening round of 73, adapted well to the hot and humid conditions in Lang Co to produce the day’s only bogey-free round. Her scorecard consisted of 15 pars and 3 birdies, showcasing remarkable consistency and stability.
Meanwhile, 15-year-old Nguyen Tuan Anh remains the tournament leader. Although he couldn’t replicate the explosive form of the first day, the Vietnamese national team member maintained his composure. After making bogey on the 11th hole for the second day in a row, he managed to secure two birdies on holes 15 and 16 to finish under par for the second consecutive round.
Tuan Anh aims to become the third consecutive Vietnamese golfer to win the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final championship, following in the footsteps of Nguyen Anh Minh (2023) and Nguyen Duc Son (2024). The chances for defending champion Duc Son to retain his title seem diminished after a round of 76. He currently sits tied for 12th with a total score of 144, nine shots behind the leader.
Ho Anh Huy, a member of the Vietnamese team that achieved a historic victory at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Team Championship (Nomura Cup), remains close to the leading group with two consecutive rounds of 69, currently sharing third place.
Leading the Japanese contingent is Reina Todaka, who is currently fifth overall and trails Yang by just one shot in the Girls Under-21 category.
In the Girls Under-16 category, Pimpakorn Panyadilok of Thailand continues to lead with a total score of 144. However, competitors such as Ai Goto (Japan – 146), Kaya Daluwatte (Sri Lanka – 147), along with Camilla Kim (Australia) and Leung Hei-tong (Hong Kong) are all close behind, promising fierce competition in the final round.
Reference: Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation
