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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Golf devider Koreans made move after two rounds in Philippine Golf Championship

Koreans made move after two rounds in Philippine Golf Championship

Published Feb 6, 2026 04:27 pm

At A Glance

  • Cho, who started on 10, gunned down four birdies -- including one on his final hole, the ninth. He three-putted for a bogey on No. 2 and dropped another shot on No. 8, finishing two rounds at five-under 139 after an opening 69 in this $500,000 event supported by BingoPlus and MVPSF.
PHILIPPINES: Wooyoung Cho of Korea pictured on Friday, February 6, 2026, during Round Two of the 2026 Philippine Golf Championship at Wack Wack Golf and CC. The US$500,000 event is staged from February 5-8, 2026. Picture by Graham Uden / Asian Tour.
PHILIPPINES: Wooyoung Cho of Korea pictured on Friday, February 6, 2026, during Round Two of the 2026 Philippine Golf Championship at Wack Wack Golf and CC. The US$500,000 event is staged from February 5-8, 2026. Picture by Graham Uden / Asian Tour.
Koreans Cho Wooyoung and Wang Jeunghun powered their way with identical two-under-par 70 to clinch the share of the clubhouse lead with Thai Sarut Vongchaisit and Travis Smyth after two rounds in the Philippine Golf Championship presented by the Philippine Sports Commission on Friday, Feb. 6, at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City.
Cho, who started on 10, gunned down four birdies -- including one on his final hole, the ninth. He three-putted for a bogey on No. 2 and dropped another shot on No. 8, finishing two rounds at five-under 139 after an opening 69 in this $500,000 event supported by BingoPlus and MVPSF.
A professional for two years seeking his first Asian Tour title, Cho admitted it has been challenging the past two days especially playing on the cow grass fairways.
“It’s the first time I played on [this type of grass] and it’s so much different in Korea and the US, so I just keep trying to be on the safe area. It’s hard to control the distance,” said Cho.
Wang, meanwhile, played flawlessly with a bogey-free round, shooting birdies on the fourth and 16th holes, while Vongchaisit clung to his first-round lead after shooting a 71.
Vongchaisit had a tough start after fumbling with three bogeys on his first seven holes, but picked himself up in the remaining holes by firing four birdies.
“Front nine was not too good for me. I didn’t keep it in play there, but on the back nine, I just kept telling myself to be confident and so, three-under on the back nine made me really happy,” said Vongchaisit.
Smyth briefly grabbed the solo lead late in the afternoon after an eagle putt from within seven feet on the 14th hole, but stumbled with a bogey on the 17th to finish with a 69.
Ian Snyman (68) and Marcus Plunkett (70) trailed the four leaders by one shot.
Fil-Canadian Brycen Ko also made his move with a 70, while Fil-German Keanu Jahns kept it steady with a 71 to keep within three shots of the leaders at 142.
Ko said his patience paid off on this round.
“The biggest key for me today is I hit a lot of greens, so a lot of birdie attempts,” he said.
“I had a lot of putts that were burning edges. In the past, maybe I’d get a little bit more aggressive to chase those down, but in this golf course, it is important to just stay patient,” Ko added.
Overall, seven Filipino made the cut. Joining Ko and Jahns were Fidel Concepcion (73-144), Carl Jano Corpus (71-144), Jhonnel Ababa (74-146), Rupert Zaragosa (71-146), and Enrique Dimayuga (72-148).
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