Son Je-i (Dongrae High School Attached Broadcasting & Communication High School) and Jung Eui-seok (Cheonan Jungang Broadcasting & Communication High School) maintained a tie for 18th place for the second consecutive day at the 2026 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC).

During the second round of the tournament held on October 30 at the Te Arai Links South Course (par 71) in Auckland, New Zealand, Son carded six birdies but struggled with three bogeys, two double bogeys, and a triple bogey, finishing the day with a 4-over-par 75.

Jung also managed only one birdie against three bogeys and a double bogey, signing for a 4-over-par 75.

As a result, both Son and Jung recorded a 2-day total of 4-over-par 146, holding steady in a tie for 18th place for two days in a row.

Following the previous day, players had a hard time dealing with erratic weather conditions featuring sudden gusts of wind and intermittent rain.

 
Son ran into trouble on the 9th hole (par 4) when a sudden gust of wind led to a triple bogey, and he collapsed further after racking up two more double bogeys on the back nine.

Fortunately, he salvaged his position by catching back-to-back birdies on the 16th hole (par 4) and 18th hole (par 5).

Son said, "I was 1-under-par through the 8th hole, but a sudden gust of wind caused an absurd situation on the 9th where my putt brushed the flagstick and rolled a long way away with the wind," adding, "Environmental factors played a big role, so the result is disappointing."

Chun Ji-yul (Sinseong Middle School) shot a 5-over-par 76 for a tournament total of 6-over-par 148, tying for 25th, while Yoo Min-hyuk (Seogang High School) finished with a 6-over-par 77 for a total of 9-over-par 151, ranking in a tie for 38th.

Overseas-based Lee Yong-jae recorded a total of 12-over-par 154, tying for 46th and barely making the cut (13-over-par) to secure his spot in the remaining rounds.

On the other hand, overseas-based Kang Geun (14-over-par 156) and Park Si-woo (28-over-par 170) missed the cut.

Consequently, except for Kang Geun and Park Si-woo, five South Korean players will continue their pursuit of a top-10 finish.

Defending champion Phatkarawee Laopakdi of Thailand shot a 1-over-par 72, bringing his total to 7-under-par 135 to lead the tournament for the second straight day.

Cooper Moore of host country New Zealand surged to second place, trailing Laopakdi by two shots at 5-under-par 137.

Fellow New Zealanders Ryan Xie (4-under-par 138) and Jack Swanwick (3-under-par 139) took 3rd and 4th places, respectively, carrying on their home-course advantage.

(Photo: Courtesy of AAC Organizing Committee, Yonhap News)