Shin Ji-ae's Leap 'Tied 8th, 4 Strokes Behind'... Hara 'Leading by 2 Strokes'

Rico Cup Tour Championship Day 2: 5 Under Par, Furue and Shibuno Tied for 2nd, Defending Champ Bae Seon-woo Tied for 16th

Shin Ji-ae is teeing off on the 3rd hole on the second day of the Ricoh Cup Tour Championship. Miyazaki, Japan=Getty Images/Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is the surge of '2-win champion' Shin Ji-ae (32).

On the 27th, at the Miyazaki Golf Club in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan (par 72, 6,543 yards), during the second day of the final event of the 2020 season of the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour, the Ricoh Cup Tour Championship (total prize money 120 million yen), she lowered her score by 5 strokes and jumped to a tie for 8th place (5-under 139 strokes). While Hara Erika is leading with 9-under 135 strokes, '3-win champion' Furue Ayaka, last year's British Women's Open winner Shibuno Hinako, and Nishimura Yuna (all from Japan) are tied for 2nd place, 2 strokes behind (7-under 137 strokes).

Starting from a tie for 22nd place, 5 strokes behind, Shin Ji-ae swept up 6 birdies (1 bogey). She started fresh with a birdie on the 1st hole (par 4), then made a streak of 4 consecutive birdies from the 6th to the 9th holes. However, in the back nine, after a birdie on the 11th hole (par 5), she regrettably made a bogey on the final 18th hole (par 4). Her putting on the green stood out with 27 putts during the round. She is 4 strokes behind the leader, in a position to aim for her third win of the season since her victory at the Toto Japan Classic on the 8th.

Hara scored 4-under, maintaining the top spot on the leaderboard for two consecutive days. From Korea, Lee Ji-hee (41) shot 3-under and is watching for an opportunity from a tie for 5th place, 3 strokes behind (6-under 138 strokes). Jeon Mi-jung (38) is tied for 10th place (4-under 140 strokes), while defending champion Bae Sun-woo (26), who was tied for 3rd the previous day, struggled with 1-over and dropped to a tie for 16th place (2-under 142 strokes). Lee Min-young (28, Hanwha Q CELLS) is tied for 26th place (3-over 147 strokes), and Lee Na-ri (32) is tied for 30th place (4-over 148 strokes).