Rookie Lee Yewon Leads 2nd Round of Dongbu Construction Championship... First Victory Hopes Rise

Lee Yewon 8 Birdies and 1 Bogey, 15 Points Added, Midway Total 27 Points
Park Hyunkyung 24 Points 2nd Place, Lee Gayoung 22 Points 3rd Place, Lim Heejung 20 Points 5th Place

Lee Ye-won is making an iron shot on the 1st hole of the 2nd round at the Dongbu Construction Korea Land Trust Championship. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Taewon] Lee Yewon (19), a top rookie on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, has seized her first chance for victory.

On the 14th, at Iksan Country Club (Par 72) in Iksan City, Jeonbuk Province, Lee Yewon scored 15 points with eight birdies and one bogey in the second round of the KLPGA Tour Dongbu Construction·Korea Land Trust Championship (total prize money 1 billion KRW, winner's prize 180 million KRW), held in a modified Stableford format. She leads with a total of 27 points. Lee Yewon made an impressive performance by scoring 10 points with five birdies in the back nine holes alone.

The modified Stableford format ranks players by adding points assigned to each score rather than counting strokes. An albatross is awarded 8 points, an eagle 5 points, a birdie 2 points, a bogey -1 point, and a double bogey or worse -3 points.

Lee Yewon has shown excellent form throughout this season, dominating the rookie of the year race. Despite being a rookie, she ranks 4th in the prize money ranking (712.42 million KRW), 6th in the grand prize points (434 points), and 8th in average score (70.948 strokes), demonstrating top-level performance.

She said, "I thought about making many birdies even before going out. Playing more aggressively than usual led to good results, so I am satisfied," and expressed her determination, "I will continue to play aggressively in rounds 3 and 4." She also did not hide her desire to win, adding, "At the beginning of the season, I never thought about winning, but as I feel closer, the thought of winning is growing."

Park Hyunkyung (22) also added 9 points with five birdies and one bogey, placing second (24 points), three points behind Lee Yewon. Park Hyunkyung has shown consistent performance this year without missing a cut. However, she is anxious as she has yet to win. She said, "At first, I had high expectations as my mid- to long-distance putts were going in, but I couldn't reduce my score as much as I wanted due to losing momentum at times," and vowed, "I will not think about the word 'win' and will stay focused until the end."

Lee Gayoung (23) added 11 points with six birdies and one bogey, rising to third place (22 points). Im Jinhee (24) is in fourth place (21 points), and Im Heejung (22) is fifth (20 points). Kim Heeji (20), who was the leader the previous day, scored only 3 points with two birdies and one bogey, dropping to a tie for sixth place (19 points). Defending champion Lee Jungmin (30), struggling due to injury aftereffects, was cut off.

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