A Lim Kim has retained her first-round lead at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, carding a solid three-under-par 69 in the second round to maintain a one-stroke advantage with a total of seven-under-par 137 (68-69) at Sentosa Golf Club.
The South Korean golfer’s steady play has placed her ahead of a strong field, with New Zealand’s Lydia Ko trailing closely at six-under 138 (71-67). Tied for third at five-under 139 are Korea’s Hye Jin Hyo Joo Kim (73-66) and England’s Charley Hull (69-70), setting the stage for a thrilling weekend showdown.
Hyo Joo Kim of Korea is in T3 place
Amid swirling winds and challenging greens, Kim’s focus and consistency have kept her atop the leaderboard as she heads into the third round.
Despite tricky conditions, including swirling winds and difficult green reads, the South Korean golfer remains focused on her process, keeping her sights set on performing at her best rather than fixating on the tightly packed leaderboard.
“Today, my shot is good, and my putting is good, but the green read is hard for me, and then there is a lot of swirling wind and gusts. Tricky days,” she said.
When asked if certain holes were particularly affected by the wind, Kim noted, “It’s swirling a lot because of the course shape—I’m not AI, so I control me and just keep choice and do that,” emphasising her focus on managing what’s within her power.
The greens proved to be another hurdle for Kim. “This course, grain is very strong and tricky,” she explained. “So everybody is in the same situation, so keep working hard.”
Kim acknowledged a few missed birdie opportunities but remained upbeat about her play. “Some really great shot, and then really good putt, that’s all,” she said succinctly.
One standout moment came when she nearly notched a hole-in-one. “No, I think I was just short of the pin, but it kept rolling. I didn’t see my ball. But somebody told me. Still a great shot,” she recounted.
Hall of Famer Lydia Ko delivered a strong bounce-back round of 67, taking advantage of improved conditions to put herself in contention. After an opening 71, Ko credited her ability to hit more greens and capitalising on birdie opportunities.
“I actually thought I played really solid yesterday,” said the Olympic gold medallist. “But the conditions made it more difficult to score. The wind was calmer today, and I knew I had to take advantage of that. Not a lot went wrong, and I just kept giving myself good looks. The real key for me was hitting a lot more greens today versus yesterday, and that made the biggest difference.”
One of the highlights of Ko’s round was her back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th holes. “I hit a really good shot into 12 and left myself less than three feet, which is always nice for a stress-free birdie,” she explained. “On 13, the tee was moved up, but it was a little into the wind, so I couldn’t reach the green. I had a really good pitch shot and left it close again. Putting is not easy around here, so getting myself in close range increases my chances of making them. I think I did that well today.”
Looking ahead to Sunday, Ko believes the key to winning will be putting and precision. “Some pins are pretty difficult to get to, so having good distance control is really important,” she said.
Lydia Ko of New Zealand. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
“The fairways feel narrower than when we first played the Tanjong Course, so both the driver and the putter will be crucial. The course doesn’t favour just one type of player, which makes it exciting heading into the final round.”
Ko isn’t overly focused on checking her position despite the tightly packed leaderboard. “I’ll see the leaderboard if it’s right in front of me, but I’m not actively looking for it,” she said. “I’m just trying to focus on taking good quality shots and seeing where that puts me.”
Charley Hull delivered a solid round despite a slow start, bouncing back on the back nine to put herself in a strong position heading into the weekend.
“I had a good shot on the first but missed the putt,” Hull said. “Then I got off to a good start from there. Played decent, missed a couple of short putts, but bounced back on the back nine. Looking forward to tomorrow.”
Conditions remained similar to the previous round, though Hull noted a slight change in the wind. “It wasn’t as windy, but there was still a bit of wind towards the end,” she said.
Charley Hull of England
As for her mindset heading into the weekend, Hull maintained her relaxed, no-nonsense approach. “I don’t really think,” she admitted. “I just try to make as many birdies as I can. Just go out there and play.”
Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn, American Sarah Schmelzel, Korea’s Yealimi Noh, Japan’s Ayaka Furue, and China’s Ruoning Yin are all locked at four-under 140, sharing fifth place. With just two strokes separating them from the top, they are within striking distance as the tournament heads into the weekend.
This year’s line-up also includes 19 major champions, 46 LPGA winners with a combined total of 174 titles, 21 Solheim Cup players with 45 appearances, six former world No.1s, and for the first time two Singaporean players.
Of the 16 editions, 14 have been won by major champions, a testament to the golfers’ claim that this is ‘Asia’s Major’. The 2024 field featured a diverse field, with players from 22 nationalities, including 20 Major champions and 8 of the world’s top 10.
The 72-hole stroke play tournament will once again be played on The Tanjong Course at Sentosa Golf Club, which hosts its 12th edition of the tournament.
