Yubo Chen continues to lead as three women share the lead in the Thailand Junior Golf second round at Alpine.
Yubo Chen, a 12-year-old golfer of Chinese descent from Thailand, continued his strong performance by finishing at 3-under-par 141, close to winning the boys' category. He is one stroke ahead of Aiden Cho from the United States. The girls' category is fiercely competitive with a three-way tie among Patranidhar Polmanee, Kirana Batpanthana, and Richie Kittiwattanakul, all tied at 6-under-par 138 after two rounds. The final 18 holes will decide who takes home the trophy at the Thailand Junior Championship 2026, AJGA International Pathway Series, held from 14-16 August 2026 at Alpine Golf Resort Chiang Mai, Ban Thi district, Lamphun province. The stroke play format is par 72, with the course measuring 7,063 yards for men and 6,052 yards for women. The second round concluded on Saturday, 15 August 2026.
This tournament is part of the pathway for youth golfers aiming to compete in the AJGA in the United States. It is a three-day, 54-hole stroke play event for boys and girls under 18. Organized by Global Golf Management Company Limited, it features around 120 international junior golfers—72 boys and 48 girls. Participants include the top six male players from Class A and B, and the top three female players from Class A and B from TGA, national team players for 2026 or representatives from TALGA (4 men and 2 women), qualifiers from the Junior Golf Series 2026 across Central, North, South, and Northeast regions, qualifiers from the Thailand Junior Championship Local Qualifying, and invited international players. This is the second year of the event supported by the Sports Authority of Thailand, the National Sports Development Fund, Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Global Golf Management Company Limited, Thailand Domestic Power, and Alpine Golf Resort Chiang Mai.
At the end of the second round on Saturday, 15 August 2026, the cut for the boys was at 11-over-par 155, leaving 47 players to advance. For the girls, the cut was at 9-over-par 153, with 35 players remaining. The boys' leader remained unchanged as 12-year-old Yubo Chen from Thailand, of Chinese descent. He started his round at hole 1, saved par for 12 consecutive holes, then made a birdie at hole 13, a par-3. In the last five holes, he had a bogey at hole 14, par-4, and a double bogey at hole 16, par-4, finishing the round with a 2-over-par 74, totaling 3-under-par 141 after two days. Aiden Cho from the USA came in second alone at 2-under-par 142, one stroke behind. Tied for third place were Anpatch Polsena and Ho Tae Jang from South Korea at even par 144.
Yubo Chen said, "I did not perform well today. I tried to focus on my game, but was occasionally disturbed mentally. I made mistakes toward the end due to strong wind conditions. Therefore, in the final round, I must stay focused and concentrate on every shot."
In the girls' category, Patranidhar Polmanee started at hole 1, saved par for four consecutive holes in the first nine, and made three birdies at holes 5, 7, and 9. In the back nine, she made a birdie at hole 11, suffered two bogeys at holes 12 and 15, regained a birdie at hole 17, and scored an eagle on hole 18 with a 40-foot putt, finishing with a 5-under-par 67. Her two-day total is 6-under-par 138, tied for the lead with Kirana Batpanthana and Richie Kittiwattanakul, who each shot 2-under-par 70. Meanwhile, Pimnara Kulawanich holds fourth place at 5-under-par 139.
After her round, Patranidhar Polmanee said, "I was impressed with the last hole where my second shot landed on the green, leaving a long putt of about 40 feet that I made successfully, which was very exciting." Kirana Batpanthana, another co-leader, commented, "My drives were on the fairway and my iron shots were quite satisfactory. Some putts were not as sharp. I hope to perform well again in the final round." Richie Kittiwattanakul, also in contention for the championship, said, "I met my goals today. In the final round, I will focus on keeping my drives on the fairway, hitting irons onto the green for Mae N, and putting my best. I really enjoyed playing in this event."
The final round on Sunday, 16 August 2026, will start with groups of three players at 07:30. The leading women will tee off at 08:30, and the leading men at 08:40. The champions in both the boys' and girls' categories will earn full-season entry to the AJGA competition. Additionally, the top five male players receive 12 stars, the top 10 receive 8 stars, the top 15 receive 4 stars, and the top 50% receive 1 star. For female golfers, the top three receive 12 stars, the top five receive 8 stars, the top 10 receive 4 stars, and the top 50% receive 1 star.
Players finishing in the top three in both boys' and girls' categories will be invited to compete in several upcoming tournaments: the Development Amateur World Golf Ranking Invitational 2026 (October 2026), the Next Gen Amateur World Final 2026 (October 2026), the Thailand Junior Masters (November 2026), the Black Mountain Asian Junior Masters 2027 (February 2027), the US Kids Golf Thailand Championship 2027 (April 2027), and the Thailand Junior Championship - AJGA IPS 2027 (August 2027).