Sumin Lee Jumps to 9th "Did You See the 7-Under Par Daily Best?"... Junghoon Ham Leads

On the Second Day of the KPGA Championship, Defending Champion Lee Won-jun Jumps 81 Spots to Tied 15th, Kim Min-gyu Misses the Cut

Lee Soo-min is teeing off at the 1st hole on the second day of the KPGA Championship. Photo by KPGA

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] 'KPGA Open Champ' Lee Soo-min (27) has started his 'back-to-back victory march' again.

On the 7th, at A-One Golf Course in Yangsan, Gyeongnam (Par 70, 6,950 yards), during the second day of the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) major KPGA Championship (total prize money 1 billion KRW), Lee soared from a tie for 90th place to a tie for 9th place (3-under 137) by leading the daily best score of 7-under. He is only 3 strokes behind the co-leaders Ham Jung-woo (26) and Park Jung-min (27), who are at 6-under 134, making a comeback very possible. Three players, including Moon Kyung-jun (37), are chasing at a tie for 3rd place (5-under 135).

Lee Soo-min currently holds first place in the season points ranking (1,207 points). With the winner's prize money of 180 million KRW from this tournament, he is on track to take the top spot in the money rankings as well. Although he struggled with putting on the first day, scoring 4-over, he swept up 7 birdies on this day. His pinpoint iron shots, missing the green only twice, showed great power. He made two pairs of 'stepping stone birdies' on holes 11 and 13 and holes 1 and 3 in the back nine, and finished on a high note with three consecutive birdies on holes 7 through 9.

Last year's second-place money ranking player Ham Jung-woo is a player to watch. He recorded 6 birdies for a 6-under round, quickly taking the top of the leaderboard. He said, "The rough is long, so selection and concentration are necessary," and revealed his hunter instinct by saying, "This year, I want to claim first place in both the season points and money rankings." Defending champion Lee Won-jun (Australia) also reduced his score by 5 strokes, keeping his title defense hopes alive. He is tied for 15th place (2-under 138). The 'teenage sensation' Kim Min-gyu (19, CJ Logistics) was cut off.