Nelly Korda's name has once again risen to the top of the leaderboard. The American, who has recorded two wins and three runner-up finishes in five starts this year, shows no signs of slowing down.
In the second round of the LPGA Tour's Mexico Riviera Maya Open held at the El Camaleon Golf Course (par 72) in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, on Thursday (Korean time), Korda submitted a clean scorecard with five birdies and no bogeys, tying for the lead with Briana Do of the United States at 9-under 135.
Among Korean players, Ju Su-bin placed highest at tied for 11th (4-under 140), followed by Im Jin-hee at tied for 14th (3-under 141).
Seven Korean players made the cut, including Jeon Ji-won at tied for 32nd (1-under 143), Choi Un-jeong at tied for 41st (even-par 144), and Kang Min-ji, Lee Jeong-eun 6, and Hwang Yu-min at tied for 62nd (2-over 146).
Lee Jeong-eun 6, who shot even-par 72, and Hwang Yu-min, who carded 1-over 73, both advanced to the third round after teetering on the line between making and missing the cut. Though both barely squeezed through, the two players' circumstances were quite different.
For Lee Jeong-eun 6, tension persisted until the final hole as birdies and bogeys came in succession. She birdied the par-4 first hole but bogeyed the par-4 second, then shaved off a stroke on the par-5 fifth only to give it back on the par-4 sixth. Her birdie on the par-5 13th on the back nine was offset by a bogey on the par-4 14th. To make matters worse, a consecutive bogey on the par-3 15th put her in danger of missing the cut. But after parring the 16th and 17th, she dramatically saved her tournament with a birdie on the par-5 18th.
Hwang Yu-min, by contrast, was cruising without any concerns about the cut until trouble suddenly struck late in the round. Starting from the 10th hole, she birdied the par-4 11th, bogeyed the par-3 15th, then picked up a birdie on the par-5 fifth hole on her back nine, giving her a three-stroke cushion above the cut line. But a bogey on the par-3 eighth brought some concern, and another bogey on the par-4 ninth left her right on the cut line.
With rookies making waves at this tournament, the cut made by Hwang, who currently leads the Rookie of the Year points, carries significant meaning.
Melanie Green of the United States, ranked seventh in the rookie standings, shaved off two strokes to move into sole third place (8-under 136), while Erika Hara of Japan, ranked third among rookies, also performed well at tied for 11th (4-under 140).
Though the circumstances of their narrow cuts differed, both Lee Jeong-eun 6 and Hwang Yu-min will aim for a sharp climb up the leaderboard in Saturday's moving day third round.
