Kim Ji-young 2 'Leap to the Lead'... Choi Hye-jin and Kim Min-seon 5 Tied for 2nd Place, 1 Stroke Behind

S-Oil Championship Day 2: 8-Under Surge, Park Hyun-kyung 4th, Lim Hee-jung 8th, Kim Hyo-joo 25th 'Chasing Battle'

Kim Ji-young 2 is teeing off at the 5th hole on the second day of the S-Oil Championship. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Kim Ji-young2 (24, SK Networks) takes the lead.

On the 13th, at the Elysian Golf Club in Jeju City, Jeju Island (par 72, 6,642 yards), continuing the second day of the KLPGA Tour S-Oil Championship (total prize money 700 million won), she surged with an 8-under-par round to dominate the top of the leaderboard (12-under-par 132 strokes). 'Domestic No. 1' Choi Hye-jin (21, Lotte) and Kim Min-seon5 (25, Korea Land Trust) are tied for 2nd place (11-under-par), while 'KLPGA Championship champ' Park Hyun-kyung (20, Korea Land Trust), Kim Hae-rim (31, Samchully), Jang Eun-su (22, CJ O Shopping), and Lee Ki-ppeum (26, Cham Joeun Travel) share 4th place (9-under-par).

Due to heavy rain and fog, the round was delayed for five hours, and many players could not complete their second round. Starting from a tie for 19th place, 4 strokes behind, Kim Ji-young2 swept up 10 birdies (and 1 double bogey). Although she started shakily with a double bogey on the 1st hole (par 4), she quickly recovered with consecutive birdies on the 2nd and 3rd holes, followed by a birdie on the 5th hole (par 5), and then a steep upward curve with four consecutive birdies from the 7th to the 10th holes. She also showed fierce stamina by adding three more birdies on the 12th, 15th, and 17th holes.

Choi Hye-jin is checking the wind direction before taking a shot on the 2nd hole of the second day of the S-Oil Championship. Photo by KLPGA

Leading by one stroke, this is her chance for a second career win after three years since her victory at the NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship in May 2017. Kim Ji-young2 said, "I was angry after my tee shot went OB (out of bounds) on the first hole," but added, "Focusing on each shot brought many birdie opportunities," and "I will concentrate even more tomorrow to seize the chances." Kim Min-seon5 joined the competition for the title by shooting 7 under par. Choi Hye-jin increased her chances of a consecutive win by making three birdies in nine holes.

Park Hyun-kyung posted a 5-under-par round, laying the groundwork for her second win of the season. Im Hee-jung (20, Hanwha Q Cells) is tied for 8th place (8-under-par), 'Lotte Cantata Ladies Open champ' Kim Hyo-joo (25, Lotte) is tied for 25th place (6-under-par), and 'LPGA Rookie of the Year' Lee Jeong-eun6 (24, Daebang Construction) and Kim Se-young (27, Mirae Asset) are tied for 36th place (5-under-par). On the other hand, 'E1 Charity Open champ' Lee So-young (23, Lotte) is tied for 88th place (1-under-par), and 'KLPGA Rookie of the Year' Jo Ah-yeon (20, Volvik) is tied for 100th place (1-over-par).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.