Lydia Ko "Leads for Two Days"... Kim Hyoju 2nd Place, 5 Strokes Behind

Lydia Ko Fires 6-Under Par on Second Day of CME Group Tour Championship
Korda, Hataoka, Nordqvist, and Drijver in a Tight Chase for 3rd Place
Lee Jeong-eun 6 and Yang Hee-young Tied for 7th, Minji Lee Tied for 10th, Ko Jin-young Tied for 49th

Lydia Ko is teeing off on the 18th hole on the second day of the CME Group Tour Championship. Naples, USA - Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is the excitement of Lydia Ko (New Zealand), the 'Player of the Year No. 1.'

On the 18th (local time), Lydia Ko shot 6-under par on the second day of the CME Group Tour Championship (total prize money $7 million), the final round of the 2022 LPGA Tour season, held at Tiburon Golf Club Black Course (par 72, 6,556 yards) in Naples, Florida, USA, maintaining her position at the top of the leaderboard for the second consecutive day (13-under par 131). 'Lotte Championship champ' Kim Hyo-joo (27) is chasing in second place (8-under par 136).

Lydia Ko started with a one-stroke lead and swept up six birdies without any bogeys. She made two pairs of consecutive birdies on holes 6-7 and 10-11, then added two more birdies on holes 14 and 17, showcasing a perfect performance. Her fairway hit rate was 100%, and her 27 putts were outstanding. Leading by five strokes, this marks her third win of the season and 19th career victory since winning the BMW Ladies Championship last month. Lydia Ko, who is getting married next month, will sweep the Player of the Year, scoring average, and money title if she wins.

Kim Hyo-joo combined four birdies and one bogey. After losing the birdie on hole 1 (par 5) with a bogey on hole 4 (par 4), she caught three more birdies on the remaining holes. World No. 1 Nelly Korda (USA), Hataoka Nasa (Japan), Anna Nordqvist (Sweden), and Gemma Dryburgh (Scotland) are tied for third place (7-under par 137). 'Money leader' Minjee Lee (Australia) reduced four strokes to rise to a tie for 10th place (5-under par 139).

Korea is performing well with Lee Jeong-eun6 (26) and Yang Hee-young (33) tied for seventh place (6-under par 138). Kim A-rim (27) is tied for 10th, while 'money second' Jeon In-ji (28), Kim Se-young (29), and Anna Lin (26) are tied for 26th place (2-under par 142). Ko Jin-young (27), aiming for her third consecutive tournament win, lost three strokes with four birdies, three bogeys, and two double bogeys. She struggled, tied for 49th place (3-over par 147) among 60 participants.

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