Defending Champion Park Ji-young Chases at 7 Under Par... Lee Joo-mi Leads

Park Ji-young Advances to Tied 3rd in Mediheal Championship 2R
Kim Min-byeol 2nd, Park Min-ji 10th, Lee Ye-won 18th
Overseas Players Yoo So-yeon 25th, Kim Se-young 31st Advance

It is a fierce chase by defending champion Park Ji-young.

On the 14th, Park Ji-young surged with a 7-under-par 65 in the second round of the Mediheal·Hankook Ilbo Championship (total prize money 1 billion KRW) of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, held at Ferrum Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do (par 72, 6,652 yards), jumping to a tie for 3rd place (7-under-par 137). Lee Joo-mi dropped 4 strokes to take the lead (9-under-par 135). ‘Super rookie’ Kim Min-byeol is in 2nd place (8-under-par 136), with Park Hyun-kyung and Kim Ji-soo chasing in a tie for 3rd.

Park Ji-young is making a bunker shot on the 15th hole during the second round of the Mediheal·Hankook Ilbo Championship.
[Photo by KLPGA]

Starting from a tie for 37th place, 8 strokes behind, Park Ji-young swept up 7 birdies without a single bogey. After cutting 3 strokes on the front nine with birdies on holes 12, 16, and 18, she added consecutive birdies on holes 2 and 3, and two more birdies on the par-5 holes 5 and 9. Her powerful drives, reaching up to 275.7 yards, stood out. She closed the gap to the leader to 2 strokes, laying the groundwork for a consecutive win. This is her second win of the season and sixth overall, four months after the Hana Financial Group Singapore Ladies Open last December. Park Ji-young exclaimed, "I played a bit more aggressively, and it all came together well, resulting in a good score. If I play like today for the remaining two days, I think I can do well."

Kim Min-byeol added 2-under-par to continue the back-to-back competition for the title. A former national team member, she turned professional last October, passed the full membership qualifying tournament, and topped the qualifying school to join the regular tour. Kim Min-byeol said, "My shots and putting were not better than yesterday, but starting in the first group, my condition was not at its best, yet I think I finished well."

Ji Han-sol, Jung Yoon-ji, Noh Seung-hee, and Kim Si-won are tied for 6th place (6-under-par 138), ‘domestic No. 1’ Park Min-ji is tied for 10th (5-under-par 139), and last week’s season opener Lotte Rent-a-Car Ladies Open winner Lee Ye-won is tied for 18th (3-under-par 141). Overseas players Yoo So-yeon is tied for 25th (2-under-par 142), Kim Se-young tied for 31st (1-under-par 143), and Anna Lin, PLK Pacific Links Korea Championship winner Lee Jung-min, and European contender Lin Maria Grant (Sweden) are tied for 40th (even par 144), advancing to the third round. On the other hand, ‘foreign player No. 1’ Li Shuying (China) missed the cut, tied for 94th place (6-over-par 150).

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