Choi Hye-jin 'Two-Day Leader'... Lee So-mi '1 Stroke Behind in 2nd Place'

HyunCare Women's Open Round 2: Kim Arim at 1 Under Par in 3rd Place, Lee Dayeon Tied for 4th in 'Chase'

Choi Hye-jin is putting on the 2nd hole of the 2nd round at the HUENCARE Women’s Open. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is the winning opportunity for Choi Hye-jin (21, Lotte), who is ranked number one in the prize standings.

On the 24th, at the South Links Golf Course in Yeongam, Jeonnam (par 72, 6,420 yards), during the second round of the newly established KLPGA Tour event, the Huencare Women's Open (total prize money 800 million won), she reduced her score by one stroke and maintained her position at the top of the leaderboard for the second consecutive day (6 under par, 138 strokes). Lee So-mi (21) is in second place (5 under par, 139 strokes), Kim Ah-rim (25, both from SBI Savings Bank) is third (4 under par, 140 strokes), and Lee Da-yeon (23, Mediheal) and Lee Na-kyung (30, Dohui Edgega) are tied for fourth place (3 under par, 141 strokes), chasing closely behind.

Choi Hye-jin started with a one-stroke lead and recorded four birdies and three bogeys. Although she started shakily with a bogey on the 1st hole (par 4), she changed the momentum with 'stepping stone birdies' on the 7th and 8th holes. Despite faltering with bogeys on the 12th and 15th holes, she added more 'stepping stone birdies' on the 16th and 18th holes to reclaim the lead. Before this tournament, she had advanced to the finals in all 12 events and entered the top 10 an impressive 11 times, but she has yet to secure a victory, which has been a source of frustration.

Lee Da-yeon improved her ranking by posting the daily best score of 3 under par. An Song-yi (30, KB Financial Group), the winner of last month's Phantom Classic held on this course, is tied for 6th place (2 under par, 142 strokes). Yoo Hae-ran (19, SK Networks), Lim Hee-jung (20), Kim Ji-hyun (29, both from Hanwha Q CELLS), and Lee Hyo-rin (23, ShinHyup) are tied for 10th place (1 under par, 143 strokes). Lee So-young (Lotte) is tied for 31st place (3 over par, 147 strokes), and Park Hyun-kyung (20, Korea Land Trust) is tied for 39th place (4 over par, 148 strokes).