They’re unfamiliar names to Australian golf fans but young South Koreans So-Yeon Ryu and Hee-Kyung Seo already have a history of fighting out golf tournaments – and big ones at that.
The `Seoul Sisters’ could be at it again on Sunday afternoon at Royal Pines on the Gold Coast in the finale to the Australian Ladies Masters after both shot flawless rounds of six-under 66 in the opening round on Thursday.
The pair, who battled over the closing stages of last year’s US Open before Ryu triumphed, ended the day tied for second with Dutch professional Christel Boeljon to sit one shot behind compatriot Bo-Mee Lee (65).
Seo, the US LPGA’s rookie of the year in 2011 after making 10 cuts from 11 starts, also lost a play-off to Ryu in a Korean LPGA event played in China in 2010.
During her rookie of the year presentation, Seo told countrywoman Yani Tseng, who’s dominating women’s golf, she intended taking her No.1 ranking.
She has a sticker on the rear window of her car just for Tseng which says: “The objects in the mirror are closer than they appear”.
“I wanted her (Tseng) to know I am chasing her,” smiled Seo when asked about the car sticker.
Known in her homeland as the “supermodel of the fairways”, Seo is a close friend of South Korea’s former world No.1 Ji Yai Shin.
She came out to Australia a month early to prepare her game with coach Steve McRae on the Sunshine Coast to have a real crack at this week’s Masters and the Australian Open next week at Royal Melbourne.
South Koreans have been invading the US LPGA Tour for more than a decade through the early deeds of Se Ri Pak, Grace Park, Mi Hyun Kim and Hee-Won Han.
Lee, who toughed out her last four holes to hang onto the lead, was a six-shot runner-up to Karrie Webb in the 2010 Masters.
“Driving good, irons good, putting good. Easy, easy day,” she said through an interpreter.
Teenage American star Lexi Thompson, a two-time winner last year, England’s Felicity Thomson and Australians Nikki Campbell and Stephanie Na did their best to gatecrash the Korean party, finishing on five-under 67.
Thompson, 16, played with 14-year-old New Zealander Lydia Ko, who bogeyed two of her last four holes to finish on two-under 70.
Destined for a huge career, Thompson was impressed by her younger playing partner who last weekend made golfing history as the youngest player – male or female – to win a professional golf tournament.
“She’s an amazing player. She’s so consistent, she barely misses shots,” said Thompson, who was on target herself hitting 17 fairways.
“She’s not scared of anything, you can tell.”
