Yoon Ina held the lead for a second consecutive day at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, the third major of the LPGA Tour season, with a total purse of $13 million.
Yoon shot a 3-under 69 in the second round at Hazeltine National Golf Club (par 72) in Chaska, Minnesota, on Friday, carding five birdies and two bogeys. With back-to-back rounds in the 60s, Yoon posted a halfway total of 12-under 132, opening a five-shot gap over the second-place group as she heads into the third round alone at the top.
It was a day of sharply contrasting play between the front and back nine. Yoon, who appeared to crush her competitors' will to chase by picking up four birdies on the front nine alone, showed some signs of wavering on the back nine. On the 10th hole (par 4), despite safely placing her second shot on the green, she three-putted for her first bogey of the round. She immediately made up for it with a birdie on the following 11th hole (par 5), where she stuck her third shot 4.2 meters from the pin, but another three-putt mistake on the 17th hole (par 3) cost her a stroke.
In a broadcast interview right after her round, Yoon reflected, "My overall play was good, but I was somewhat disappointed with how I finished the back nine." Ahead of a full-fledged "moving day," the third round where rankings shift dramatically, she candidly shared her feelings, saying she was "very nervous."
The Korean players chasing the lead also turned in dazzling performances. Kim A-rim, the 2020 U.S. Women's Open champion, overcame the setback of a double bogey on the 10th hole and grabbed four birdies for a 2-under 70. With a halfway total of 7-under 137, she vaulted into a tie for second, five shots behind leader Yoon.
Ryu Hae-ran's momentum was particularly fierce. She put on a so-called "fireworks" display, sweeping up eight birdies with no bogeys to form a deep tie-for-second group alongside Kim A-rim, Brooke Henderson of Canada, and Nasa Hataoka of Japan. Rookie Lee Dong-eun, who joined the LPGA Tour this season, also delivered steady play with a 3-under for a second straight day after the first round, placing in a tie for sixth at a halfway total of 6-under 138, level with Nelly Korda of the United States.
Korda, the world No. 1 chasing the remarkable record of three consecutive major titles, sharpened her shot-making form with five birdies and one bogey to shave off four strokes on the day.
Facing the weekend rounds as a chaser of the lead, Korda steeled her resolve, saying, "Going into the third and fourth rounds with a big lead is never easy because of the pressure of being chased." She added, "It may sound cliché, but I'll focus on every shot and quietly watch the results unfold."
Meanwhile, world No. 3 Kim Hyo-joo finished the second round in a tie for 30th at a halfway total of 1-under 143, along with world No. 10 Kim Sei-young. Last year's tournament winner and defending champion Minjee Lee of Australia struggled with a 2-over 146, failing to make the cut and packing her bags early.
