Lee So-mi surged to the solo lead after the second round of the LPGA Tour Honda Thailand tournament, which carries a total purse of $1.8 million.
Lee carded an 11-under-par 61 on Thursday at the Old Course of Siam Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand, recording one eagle and nine birdies. With a two-round total of 17-under-par 127, Lee holds a three-stroke lead over second-place Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, who sits at 14-under-par.
Lee claimed her first tour victory last June at the Dow Championship, a two-player team event, alongside Lim Jin-hee. This week's performance positions her to pursue her second tour title after an eight-month gap.
Following a bogey-free opening round with six birdies, Lee displayed sharp shot-making again in the second round. She hit every fairway, recorded an 88.9% greens-in-regulation rate (16 of 18), and needed just 25 putts. She opened with consecutive birdies on holes 1 (par-5) and 2 (par-4), then collected nine birdies through hole 11 (par-4). An eagle on the par-4 15th hole propelled her to the top of the leaderboard.
World No. 1 Thitikul sits three strokes back in second place, while Korean-born Lydia Ko of New Zealand is tied for third at 13-under-par. Choi Hye-jin, who shared third place with Lee after the first round, managed only a two-under-par round and dropped to a tie for 13th at 8-under-par. Kim Hyo-joo and Lee Mi-hyang are tied for eighth at 11-under-par. Yoon Yi-na, who was tied for sixth after the opening round, dropped one stroke and fell to a tie for 41st at 4-under-par.