Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Day 2: Ji Eun-hee 3rd, Lee Jeong-eun 6 Tied 4th, Lee Min-ji Joins Co-Leaders
Lee Jeong-eun 6 is examining the putting line on the 3rd hole during the second day of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. Rogers, USA = Getty Images / Multibits
[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] It is a dazzling chase by Lee Jeong-eun6 (25, Daebang Construction).
On the 26th (Korean time), at the Pinnacle Golf Club in Rogers, Arkansas, USA (par 71, 6,438 yards), during the second day of the LPGA Tour Walmart NW Arkansas Championship (total prize money $2.3 million), she surged to a tie for 4th place (10-under 132) with a daily best of 8-under. Nasa Hataoka (Japan) and Minjee Lee (Australia) are tied for the lead (12-under 130), and Eun-hee Ji (35) is in 3rd place (11-under 131), all competing for the championship.
Lee Jeong-eun6 collected eight birdies. Starting at the 10th hole (par 4), she made four “stepping stone birdies” at holes 12, 14, and 16, and energized the crowd with three consecutive birdies from the 18th to the 2nd hole of the back nine. She added one more birdie at the final 5th hole (par 4). Her 100% greens in regulation with “computer iron shots” stood out, complemented by 29 “stingy putts.” She is two strokes behind the leader, presenting a great opportunity to reach her second career win for the first time in two years and three months since the 2019 US Women’s Open.
Hataoka also shot 8-under. Interestingly, she made another hole-in-one on the 6th hole (par 3) this day, following her ace on the 11th hole (par 3) on the first day. It was a 175-yard shot with a 5-iron. Two holes-in-one in one tournament is the fifth time in LPGA Tour history. Eun-hee Ji, co-leader after round 1, slipped to 3-under, and Arim Kim (26) faltered with an even par, dropping to a tie for 9th place (8-under 134). World No. 2 Jin-young Ko (26) joined the tie for 9th, while Sung-hyun Park (28) finished tied for 57th (2-under 140).
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