Yoo Hae Ran Maintains Lead for Second Consecutive Day

5-under-par in Black Desert Championship Round 2
Lee Somi in 2nd, Joo Subin in 3rd, Lee Mihyang in 7th
Kim Arim, Yoon Ina, Park Sunghyun, Jeon Ingee Miss the Cut

Yoo Hae Ran maintained her position at the top of the leaderboard for the second consecutive day.

On May 2 (local time), at the Black Desert Resort Golf Course (par 72, 6,629 yards) in Ivins, Utah, USA, Yoo carded a 5-under-par 67 in the second round of the LPGA Tour Black Desert Championship, which has a total prize fund of $3 million. The previous day, she took the lead with nine birdies and no bogeys. On this day, she recorded one eagle, four birdies, and one bogey, extending her lead to two strokes.

Yoo Hae Ran is teeing off at the 17th hole of the 2nd round of the Black Desert Championship. Ivins, USA=AFP Yonhap News Photo by Ivins

Yoo Hae Ran, the 2023 LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year, is aiming for her third victory on the U.S. stage, following wins at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in October 2023 and the FM Championship in September last year. Yoo said, "After an amazing day yesterday, it was a bit of a tough start today. Still, I was waiting for my first birdie, and I made a great chip-in birdie," adding, "With the chip-in birdie and an eagle, it turned out to be another good day." She continued, "It looks like the wind will pick up tomorrow and in the final round. There are a lot of rocks outside the fairway here, which makes the course appear narrow. I will focus on keeping the ball on the fairway and green and wait for my opportunities."

Lee Somi surged to second place with a 6-under-par 66, bringing her total to 12-under-par 132. This season, she has demonstrated consistency by making the cut in all seven tournaments she has entered. Joo Subin is tied for third place at 11-under-par 133, and Lee Mi Hyang is tied for seventh at 9-under-par 135. Choi Hye Jin and An Na Rin are tied for 11th at 8-under-par 136. Kim Hyo Joo, who finished runner-up after a playoff at last week's Chevron Championship, is tied for 24th at 6-under-par 138 along with Lim Jin Hee, Jeon Ji Won, and others. In contrast, Kim A Lim, Yoon Ina, Park Sung Hyun, and Jeon In Gee missed the cut.