Lee Jeong-eun 6 Leads "How Long Has It Been~"... Lin Xiwei '1 Stroke Behind in 2nd Place'

Lee Jeong-eun6 shoots 9-under par, sets course record on second day of Kroger Queen City Championship
Kim A-rim tied for 6th, Choi Hye-jin and An Na-rin tied for 15th, Kim Hyo-joo misses cut

CINCINNATI, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 09: Jeongeun Lee6 of South Korea lines up a putt on the fourth green during the second round of the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G at Kenwood Country Club on September 09, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell)

[Asia Economy Reporter Byeon Seon-jin] It is the revival shot of Lee Jeong-eun6 (26).

On the 9th (local time), at the Kenwood Country Club Kendale Course (par 72, 6,515 yards) in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, during the second day of the newly established LPGA Tour event, the Kroger Queen City Championship (total prize money $1.75 million), Lee Jeong-eun6 took the top spot on the leaderboard at 13-under-par 131, leading with a course record of 9-under-par. Lin Xiyu (China), who was the leader the previous day, lowered her score by 4 strokes but fell to second place at 12-under-par 132.

Starting from a tie for 11th place, 4 strokes behind, Lee Jeong-eun6 showcased perfect play with 9 birdies and no bogeys. After warming up with birdies on holes 2 and 5, she fired four consecutive birdies from holes 7 to 10. She added birdies on holes 12, 14, and 16 to complete her best day. She missed the fairway only twice, and her 23 putts in the round were outstanding. Rising to a 1-stroke lead, she now has a chance to win for the first time in 3 years and 3 months since her major US Women's Open victory in June 2019.

Lee Jeong-eun6 was the Rookie of the Year on the Korean LPGA (KLPGA) Tour in 2016. The following year, she won 4 times and claimed six titles including most wins, prize money leader, and Player of the Year. In 2018, after becoming the prize money leader for the second consecutive year, she topped the LPGA Tour Qualifying (Q) School and joined the US circuit in 2019. She was on a roll, winning the US Women's Open in her debut year and earning the LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year award, but unexpectedly fell into a slump without any titles.

In July last year, Lee Jeong-eun6 started the final day of the major Evian Championship with a 5-stroke lead but was overtaken by Minjee Lee (Australia) and finished as runner-up. This year, she has played in 15 tournaments but only achieved three top-10 finishes. She suffered the humiliation of missing the cut twice and struggled with a tie for 60th place at last week's Dana Open. "I'm satisfied with playing a bogey-free round," said Lee Jeong-eun6, adding, "I'm gaining more confidence in my swing and will focus on my downswing while playing tomorrow."

From Korea, Kim A-lim (27) lowered her score by 3 strokes to tie for 6th place, 4 strokes behind (9-under-par 135). Rookie Choi Hye-jin (23) and An Na-rin (26) are tied for 15th place (6-under-par 138), eyeing a move up the leaderboard. Kim Se-young (29) and Kang Hye-ji (32) are tied for 26th place (4-under-par 140), while Park Sung-hyun (29) and Lee Mi-hyang (29) are tied for 35th place (3-under-par 141). On the other hand, Kim Hyo-joo (27), Choi Na-yeon (35), and Lee Jeong-eun5 (34) failed to advance to the third round.

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