E1 Charity Open Day 2: Yu Hae-ran at 5 Under Par in 2nd Place, Jang Eun-su Chasing in 3rd, Lee Jeong-eun 6 Tied for 12th
Lee So-young is reading the putting line on the 16th hole on the second day of the E1 Charity Open. Photo by KLPGA
[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] Lee So-young (23, Lotte) continued her powerful performance on the second day.
On the 29th, at South Springs Golf Club in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 6,501 yards), during the second day of the KLPGA Tour E1 Charity Open (total prize money 800 million KRW), she added 5 under par to lead by 2 strokes (12 under par, 132 strokes). Yoo Hae-ran (19, SK Networks) is in second place (10 under par, 134 strokes), and Jang Eun-su (22, CJ O Shopping) is in third place (9 under par, 135 strokes), pursuing the lead. It was surprising that Park Hyun-kyung (20, Korea Land & Housing Corporation), the 'KLPGA Championship champ,' was cut off.
Lee So-young opened the scoring early with a birdie on the 1st hole (par 4), then gained momentum with three consecutive birdies from the 6th to 8th holes. Although she had her first bogey on the 9th hole (par 4), she changed the atmosphere with 'stepping stone birdies' on the 12th and 14th holes in the back nine. Especially on the 14th hole (par 3), she thrilled the crowd with a 'hole-in-one-like birdie.' Her tee shot from 143 meters with an 8-iron landed near the edge of the green, then rolled along the slope to settle right next to the hole. She recovered from a bogey on the 15th hole (par 4) with a birdie on the 18th hole (par 4).
Lee So-young was the silver medalist in the women's team golf event at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. She joined the KLPGA Tour in 2016 and earned her first victory at the Yongpyong Resort Open. In 2018, she made a name for herself by sweeping three wins at the Saint Nine Masters, Moon Young Queens Park Championship, and All For You Championship. Last year, she was frustrated by finishing as runner-up three times at the Hyosung Championship, Kia Motors Korea Women's Open, and Yongpyong Resort Open.
This is why she flew to Antalya, Turkey, last winter to undergo grueling winter training. South Springs is a welcome course for Lee So-young, as it is where she won the All For You Championship. She expressed satisfaction, saying, "It was a good start to the day. Although I had some putting misses in the middle, I think I finished well without any major mistakes." She added her hunter instinct, saying, "There are still two rounds left, and I need to keep shooting in the 60s to be in the top 3. I will play aggressively."
Yoo Hae-ran is a player to watch. She is a special rookie who surprised everyone by winning the Jeju Samdasoo Masters last year as an invited player. The leading group, following Jang Eun-su, includes Lim Hee-jung (20) and Oh Ji-hyun (24, KB Financial Group), who are tied for 4th place (8 under par, 136 strokes), awaiting the third round. The overseas players are Lee Jeong-eun 6 (24, Daebang Construction) tied for 12th place (6 under par, 138 strokes), Kim Hyo-joo (25, Lotte) and Lee Bo-mi (32) tied for 47th place (2 under par, 142 strokes), and Bae Sun-woo (26, Samchully) tied for 60th place (1 under par, 143 strokes).
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