Kim Min-sun shot a course-record 9-under-par to surge into a share of the lead after the second round of the KLPGA Tour iM Financial Open (total purse 1 billion won).
Kim carded a bogey-free 63 with nine birdies in the second round at Golfzon County Seonsan (par 72) in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, on Thursday. Her two-round total of 7-under 137 put her in a three-way tie for the lead alongside Kim Min-sol and Jeon Ye-sung. Kim's 9-under 63 broke the previous course record of 8-under 64 set by Ko Ji-woo during the third round of last year's tournament.
Kim Min-sun, who joined the KLPGA Tour in 2023, claimed her first career victory at the Duksin EPC Championship in April last year. This season, she finished tied for 18th at The Siena Open last week, the domestic season opener. Despite shooting over par in the first round at The Siena Open, she posted under-par scores over the following three days to finish in the upper ranks. She followed a similar pattern this week, recovering from an opening-round 2-over with her record-breaking second round.
"Overall, my shot-making felt great, so I had far more opportunities than yesterday. I could read most of my putt lines well," Kim said after the round. "Including my victory, today was the best round of my life." Kim received 3 million won in cash as a course-record bonus from Golfzon County Seonsan. "I haven't thought about it yet, but I'd like to treat myself to something for all the hard work," she said.
Kim Min-sol, who held the solo lead after shooting 6-under on Day 1, managed only one stroke improvement on the day to match Kim Min-sun's 7-under total. "I made a lot of mistakes with my second shots today. I had many distances left that required controlled shots, but I couldn't adjust well," Kim Min-sol said. "I'll check my shots one more time for tomorrow's round."
Choi Ye-rim, Kim Si-hyun, and Ahn Ji-hyun formed a three-way tie for fourth at 5-under 139, one stroke back. Defending champion Kim Min-joo shaved two strokes off her score to reach the halfway point tied for seventh at 4-under alongside Kim Ga-hee and Choi Jung-won. Ko Ji-won, who claimed her third career title at The Siena Open last week, shot even par to finish the second round tied for 32nd with Bang Sin-sil and Kim Su-ji.
