Se-young Kim Leads by One Stroke "Going for 2 Wins GO~"... McDonald in 2nd Place

Pelican Women's Day 2: 5-Under Par Daily Best, Heo Mi-jeong 14th, World No.1 Ko Jin-young Tied 48th Slips

Kim Se-young is teeing off on the 14th hole on the second day of the Pelican Women's. Bel Air, Florida, USA ? Photo by Getty Images/Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] Kim Se-young (27, Mirae Asset) has gained momentum in her 'march to 2 wins.'

On the 21st (Korean time), at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, USA (par 70, 6,268 yards), during the second day of the LPGA Tour Pelican Women's Championship (total prize money $1.5 million), she posted a daily best of 5-under par to leap into the lead by 1 stroke (8-under par 132). Ally McDonald (USA) is in 2nd place (7-under par 133), while Sophia Popov (Germany) and Stephanie Meadow (Northern Ireland) are tied for 3rd place (6-under par 134) chasing behind.

Starting tied for 3rd place, 3 strokes behind, Kim Se-young swept up 5 birdies at holes 1-2, 6-7, and 14 (par 5). Although she missed the green 7 times, it is remarkable that she managed to save par every time. Her 25 'stingy putts' showed great effectiveness. Last month, she ascended to 'Major Queen' status by winning her third major at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Currently, she is aiming to sweep individual titles including 1st in scoring average (68.39), 2nd in earnings ($908,000), and 3rd in Player of the Year points (76).

In fact, the winner's prize of $225,000 in this tournament will directly propel her past Park In-bee (32, KB Financial Group, $1,066,500) to become the top money earner. Kim Se-young also expressed, "I gained confidence through winning a major tournament, so I feel very comfortable," adding, "Today, especially in the back nine, there were many par-saving situations, and I am pleased to have saved par on all of them." She added her strategy, "The course is getting more difficult, so I will play cautiously."

The leading group includes Lydia Ko (New Zealand) and Minjee Lee (Australia) tied for 6th place (3-under par 137), and Brooke Henderson (Canada) tied for 9th place (2-under par 138), all looking for opportunities. From Korea, Hur Mi-jung (31, Daebang Construction) is tied for 14th place (1-under par 139), while Jeon In-ji (26, KB Financial Group) and Ji Eun-hee (34) are tied for 19th place (even par 140). World No. 1 Ko Jin-young (25) lost a stroke with 1 birdie and 2 bogeys, dropping to a tie for 48th place (3-over par 143).