In the first round, nine players shot 80 or higher. Two were eliminated under the "88-stroke rule." In the second round, 16 players recorded 80 or higher, and some who shot 80 still made the cut. The difficult course produced unusual results rarely seen on tour.
The cut line was set at 6-over 150 after the second round of the DB Women's Championship (total prize money: 1.2 billion won) held Saturday at Rainbow Hills Country Club (par 72) in Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province. Ahn Jae-hee, who shot 8-over 80 on the day, narrowly made the cut at tied for 59th (6-over 150), thanks to her opening-round 70.
The most dramatic cut-maker was Hong Jeong-min, last year's leading money winner. After shooting 77 in the first round and sitting in a tie for 93rd, Hong carded a 1-over 73 on the day, just barely clearing the cut line.
Big hitter Bang Shin-sil's cut-making run also came down to a strong finish. After losing five strokes over her opening three holes — a bogey on the par-3 third, a triple bogey on the par-4 fourth, and a bogey on the par-4 fifth — Bang rallied with four birdies and two bogeys to shave two strokes off her score and dramatically make the cut. Bang shot 3-over 75 and stands tied for 43rd (5-over 149).
While many players struggled against the demanding course, one competitor strolled effortlessly toward victory.
Koh Ji-won, who led the leaderboard after a first-round 7-under 65, added five birdies against two bogeys for a 3-under round to extend her lead to five strokes at 10-under 134. She is the only player to post scores in the 60s on both days. Two years ago, Koh shot 80 in the final round of the Korea Women's Open, and she now appears to be hunting birdies as if making up for that disappointment.
Yoo Seo-yeon II carded an even-par 72 to move into sole second place (5-under 139), while Lee Da-yeon, who dropped one stroke, sat alone in third (4-under 140). Lee Ji-hyun III, who trimmed four strokes, and Kim Si-hyun, who gained three, joined Yoo Hyun-jo and Patcharajutar Kongkraphan of Thailand in a tie for fourth. Kim Min-sol, Han Jin-seon, Jo A-yeon and Park Hye-jun were tied for eighth (2-under 142).
