Great performance for the South Korean Jin Young Ko who finished this second round of the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open with a card of 69 (-3) after setting the pace yesterday with a score of 65 in the first round.

ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open: Jin Young Ko leads the second round

Jin Young Ko - Photo: DR

Ko, who is making his first appearance in Australia, started with a pair of bogeys on holes 11 and 12, but quickly recovered with three consecutive birdies from hole 1 before adding another to hole no. ° 5 to go to 10 under par, with three strokes ahead of the rookie American Emma Talley.

Ko is certainly an LPGA rookie, but she already won the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship in October and already has 14 titles as a professional, including 10 on the KLPGA Tour.

She also finished second behind Inbee Park at the Ricoh Women's British Open 2015 in Turnberry.

The South Korean is trying not to put too much pressure on herself this week, however, she said the Kooyonga Golf Course is shorter and more open than the courses she is used to playing in Korea, which makes her feel allows you to relax.

Fellow South Korean Jiyai Shin, fresh off the 50th victory of his professional career at the Actewagl Canberra Classic, topped his score of 67 in the first round with a 71 to sit in third place. Koh and Shin have more in common than their ranking positions this week. Ko's caddy, with whom she has worked for the past two seasons, an Australian named Dean Herden, was cElui of Shin during his victory last week.

On her heels are Lydia Ko, Nasa Hataoka, Sun Young Yoo, Yu Liu, Olivia Cowan, Hannah Green, Hyein Choi, Mo Martin and Luna Sobron Galmes.

Karine Icher signs a 72 (-2) card and finishes in 14th place, tied with Lydia Ko and Minjee Lee. Perrine Delacour is the only other Frenchwoman to have just crossed the cut.