Lim Hee-jeong "7-Under Par Surge"... Sung Yoo-jin "Two-Day Leader"

Lotte Open Day 2: Lee Ye-won Tied 2nd by 1 Stroke, Song Ga-eun 4th, Defending Champion Jang Ha-na 14th, Park Min-ji 52nd

Im Hee-jung is teeing off on the 2nd hole on the second day of the Lotte Open. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is the power of Lim Hee-jung (22, Korea Land & Housing Corporation).

On the second day of the KLPGA Tour Lotte Open (total prize money 800 million won) held at Bears Best Cheongna Golf Club in Incheon (par 72, 6,725 yards) on the 3rd, she surged to a tie for 2nd place (9-under 135) led by a daily best 7-under par. Sung Yu-jin (22, Hanwha Q CELLS) is the leader (10-under 134), Lee Ye-won (19, KB Financial Group) is tied for 2nd, Song Ga-eun (22, MG Saemaeul Geumgo) is 4th (8-under 136), and Ji Han-sol (26, Dongbu Construction) and Lee Da-yeon (25, Mediheal) are tied for 5th (7-under 137).

Lim Hee-jung started from a tie for 18th place, 6 strokes behind, and swept up 8 birdies (1 bogey). After making two pairs of consecutive birdies on holes 10-11 and 14-15, she added another birdie on the 17th hole (par 3). In the back nine, she lost a birdie on the 2nd hole (par 5) due to a bogey on the 4th hole (par 4), but showed strong finishing power by adding birdies on the 6th hole (par 5) and the final 9th hole (par 4). She is 1 stroke behind the leader and has a chance for her 5th career win, her first in 10 months since the High1 Resort Ladies Open last August.

Lim Hee-jung debuted in 2019 and emerged as a new powerhouse on the KLPGA Tour by winning 3 titles. This year, she suffered a serious traffic accident in April and had not been able to produce good results due to its aftereffects. She entered revival mode after finishing 3rd in last month's Doosan Match Play Championship. Lim said, "This is my best score this year," and added, "Since the last tournament, my iron shots have come alive, allowing me to achieve a satisfactory result."

Sung Yujin is watching the ball immediately after an iron shot on the 8th hole on the second day of the Lotte Open. Photo by KLPGA

She continued, "I think I have recovered about 60% from the aftereffects of the traffic accident," and expressed her determination, "I will play well for the remaining two days." Sung Yu-jin shot 2-under par to maintain her position at the top of the leaderboard for two consecutive days. Last year's Rookie of the Year, Song Ga-eun, combined 8 birdies and 1 double bogey. She posted 6-under par and quickly joined the race for the championship. Defending champion Jang Ha-na (30, BC Card) reduced 3 strokes to rise to a tie for 14th place (4-under 140).

‘Mediheal Champ’ Park Ji-young (26, Korea Land & Housing Corporation), ‘E1 Charity Open Champ’ Jung Yoon-ji (NH Investment & Securities), and Park Hyun-kyung (Korea Land & Housing Corporation) are tied for 18th place (3-under 141), while ‘Kyochon Champ’ Cho Ah-yeon (Dongbu Construction, both 22) and ‘Match Queen’ Hong Jung-min (20, CJ OnStyle) are tied for 40th place (even par 144). ‘Domestic No. 1’ Park Min-ji (24, NH Investment & Securities) made 3 birdies and 2 bogeys to reduce 1 stroke. She advanced to the 3rd round tied for 52nd place (1-over 145).

Park Min-ji is making an iron shot on the 15th hole on the second day of the Lotte Open. Photo by KLPGA

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