Kim Se-young's Revival Signs "Tied 5th, 2 Strokes Behind"... Shibuno Leads by 1 Stroke

2022 Season First Major Chevron Championship Day 2: 5 Under Par, Defending Champ Tawatthanakit 2nd, Ko Jin-young Jumps to 29th

Kim Sei-young is watching her shot after an iron shot on the 10th hole on the second day of the 2022 season's first major, the Chevron Championship. Rancho Mirage, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] There are signs of a comeback for Kim Se-young (29, Mediheal), ranked 8th in the world.

On the 2nd (Korean time), at the Mission Hills Golf Club's Dinah Shore Tournament Course (par 72, 6,884 yards) in Rancho Mirage, California, USA, the second day of the first major of the 2022 LPGA Tour season, the Chevron Championship (total prize money $5 million), Kim surged with a 5-under-par round to leap to a tie for 5th place (7-under-par 137). Hinako Shibuno (Japan) leads at 9-under-par 135, followed by defending champion Patty Tavatanakit (Thailand), Jennifer Kupcho, and Annie Park (both USA) tied for 2nd at 8-under-par 136.

Starting from a tie for 16th place, 4 strokes behind, Kim Se-young collected 1 eagle and 4 birdies (with 1 bogey). Her strong start included a birdie on the 1st hole (par 4) and an eagle on the 2nd hole (par 5). After a bogey on the 4th hole (par 4), she immediately recovered with a birdie on the 5th hole (par 3), then added two more birdies on the 9th hole (par 5) and the 16th hole (par 4). She powered her round with an average drive of 283 yards and a 'stingy putting' performance of 26 putts. She is just 2 strokes behind the leader, well within striking distance for a comeback.

Kim Se-young is a marquee star with 12 career wins, including one major victory. She won the Rookie of the Year award in 2015 and Player of the Year in 2020. She finished tied for 25th at the 2016 Rio Olympics and tied for 9th at last year's Tokyo Olympics. However, she has been without a title for 1 year and 5 months since winning the Pelican Women's Championship in November 2020. This season, she ranked 48th at the HSBC Women's World Championship and suffered the humiliation of missing the cut at last week's JTBC Classic. Nevertheless, she has shown clear stability over the two days of this tournament.

Shibuno Hinako smiles after making a par save on the 17th hole on the second day of the Chevron Championship. Rancho Mirage, USA = Getty Images / Photo by Multibits

Shibuno posted a daily best 6-under-par round to quickly rise to the top of the leaderboard. She won the 2019 British Women's Open as a non-member. Tavatanakit added a 3-under-par round to keep her hopes for a consecutive title alive. 'Honda Champion' Nanna Madsen (Denmark) is tied for 7th at 6-under-par 138, and 2014 champion Lexi Thompson (USA) is tied for 9th at 5-under-par 139. Minjee Lee (Australia), who led the previous day, dropped one stroke to fall to a tie for 9th.

'Gainbridge Champion' Lydia Ko (New Zealand) is tied for 20th at 3-under-par 141. From Korea, Kim Hyo-joo (27, Lotte) dropped 5 strokes to join the tie for 5th place. No. 1 Ko Jin-young (27) shot 4-under-par to climb to a tie for 29th at 2-under-par 142. 2013 champion Park In-bee (34, KB Financial Group) is tied for 54th at even par 144. 2020 champion Lee Mi-rim (32, NH Investment & Securities), Park Sung-hyun (29), and Lee Jeong-eun 6 (26, Daebang Construction) all missed the cut.

Ko Jin-young is teeing off at the 12th hole on the second day of the 2022 season's first major, the Chevron Championship. Rancho Mirage, USA = Getty Images / MultiBits

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