American Auston Kim retained a one-stroke lead after carding a three-under-par 69 for a two-day total of 9-under-par 135 at the US$3 mil HSBC Women’s World Championship.
Meanwhile, World No. 4 Minjee Lee of Australia fired a superb 8-under 64 to surge up the leaderboard, tying for second place alongside Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn (67) and Korea’s Haeran Ryu (68) on a two-day total of 136.
Kim said her position reflects a methodical approach, not a momentum surge. After signing her card, Kim explained, “It feels good. Of course, it’s great to shoot good scores and play well. But all I’m really focused on is my process and the state of mind that I’m in every single time I hit a shot.”
Minjee Lee of Australia. (Photo by Kate McShane/Getty Images)
Her round nearly derailed at the par-four 16th, where a four-putt sequence halted her momentum. After a strong approach which left her roughly 21 feet from the hole, she raced the first putt well past and needed four strokes to finish.
Rather than dwell on the mistake, Kim treated it as an unavoidable part of competition.
“It’s golf,” she said. “Things happen, and you can get a bit unlucky. I had a lot of really good bounces, and that’s just a bad break today. I’m not going to get too hung up on it.”
Kim plans to use the same mindset in the final rounds, fully committing to every shot.
“I’m just trying to earn each shot and win each shot and win each day. If I can put a hundred per cent of my focus into every single shot and try my best to execute each time, I’ll do well,” said the 25-year-old.
Minjee Lee’s six birdies and an eagle put her in strong weekend contention.
Lee attributed her success to putting: “I think I just holed a few more putts out there. I holed some long ones, and that eagle on the second definitely helped the score,” said the two-time Rolex Annika Award Major Award winner.
On her eagle on the par-5 second hole, Lee added: “I couldn’t see it going in, but I heard the roars. It was a nice number, and it was a nice shot in.”
Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Thailand’s first Major winner Ariya Jutanugarn carded a five-under-par 67 in the second round. Though she struggled with some missed tee and approach shots, her putting kept her score low.
“I read the lines well. Even though I missed some putts, I was able to recover,” said the 12-time LPGA Tour winner. “The course was very wet after morning rain, and it got much hotter on the back nine than yesterday, so I felt quite tired.”
Jutanugarn seeks sharper iron play heading into the weekend. “I hope it will be better tomorrow,” she said.
Haeran Ryu, despite neck pain, shot a four-under 68 to stay in contention.
Severe neck pain made even basic movement difficult. Turning her head was a challenge; she simplified her strategy, focusing on hitting fairways and greens—a back-to-basics approach that paid off with a surge of birdies.
Haeran Ryu of South Korea. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
“Golf is not perfect,” she said, “I just think about hitting the fairway and the green. That’s good for me.”
Australia’s Hannah Green (71–66), Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen (69–68), Sweden’s Linn Grant (68–69) and England’s Mimi Rhodes (68–69) are grouped at seven-under-par 137, sharing fifth place heading into the weekend.
