"Overcome the 3-stroke gap"... Kim Hyo-joo continues the race for victory

Tied 7th in Pelican Women's Championship 2R
Rookie Allison Koepka Leads Alone with 5 Under Par
Ko Jin-young Misses Cut with 3 Over Par 143, Struggles

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Taewon] Kim Hyoju (27) continued to keep hope alive for Korean players to break their winless streak on the U.S. LPGA Tour by finishing tied for 7th. Ko Jinyoung (27) missed the cut again in her second tournament since returning, showing disappointing performance.

On the 13th (Korean time), Kim Hyoju shot a 1-under 69 with 3 birdies and 2 bogeys in the second round of the Pelican Women's Championship (total prize money $2 million) held at Pelican Golf Club (par 70, 6,268 yards) in Belleair, Florida, USA.

With a total score of 7-under 133, Kim Hyoju trailed the leader Allison Koepka (USA), who recorded 10-under 130, by 3 strokes, continuing to compete for the championship.

Korean players have gone without a title for over four months and 14 consecutive tournaments since Jeon Inji (28) won the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in June.

Kim Hyoju showed stability in the front nine. Starting at the 1st hole (par 4), she reduced one stroke each at the 5th hole (par 4) and the 9th hole (par 3), finishing the front nine at 2-under par.

However, the back nine was disappointing. She lost strokes with consecutive bogeys at the 11th hole (par 4) and the 13th hole (par 4), struggling to close the gap with the leader. She added a birdie at the 17th hole (par 4), ultimately finishing with an under-par score.

Jeon Inji recorded one birdie and one bogey in the second round, shooting an even-par 70. She stood tied for 20th place with a total score of 4-under 136.

Yang Heeyoung (33) was tied for 27th place with a total score of 3-under 137, alongside Lydia Ko (New Zealand) and others.

Ko Jinyoung has struggled to recover from a wrist injury. She made only one birdie but committed as many as five bogeys, losing 4 strokes. With a total score of 3-over 143, she tied for 87th place and missed the cut.

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