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Park Hyun Kyung "Over-par in the first half of the 1R
Park Hyun-kyung is tied for the lead with Choi Eun-woo and Jung Yun-ji after the second round of the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour's Nexen St. Nine Masters ($900 million).
Park carded six birdies and two bogeys for a 4-under 68 in the second round of the tournament on Tuesday at the Gaya Country Club's Silla-Nakdong Course (par-72) in Gimhae, Gyeongnam Province. With a midday total of 7-under-par 137, Park moved up to first place from a tie for seventh the day before. Park will be looking to win her fifth title since winning the SK networks-Seoul Economic Ladies Classic last October.
After the second round, Park reflected, "I was over par in the first half of the first round, so I played more relaxed. I still felt good and putts were the key, but I think I was able to keep a good flow because my putts fell well from the second half of the first round."
Looking ahead to the final round, he said, "I think it's important to focus on my game. I'll probably be playing in the same group as Yunji Chung, and she was really consistent with her shots and putts. "I think tomorrow's result will depend a lot on how much I focus on my own game rather than being conscious of my partner's play," he said, adding, "I hope to win two titles this year, but the first step is the best step, so I will try to prepare well for tomorrow.
Defending champion Choi Eun-woo battled through the inclement weather with four birdies through 11 holes to take a two-stroke lead, but her par putt from 10 meters on the 14th (par-4) stopped in front of the hole for her first bogey of the tournament. Choi dropped another stroke on the 15th (par-4) to fall back into a share of the lead. Choi missed a 4.6-meter birdie putt on the 16th hole (par-5) and was unable to reduce her score from there.
Meanwhile, Jung Yoon-ji, who won her first title at the E1 Charity Open in 2022, also moved into contention with four birdies and a bogey to finish three shots back. Jeong had a chance to make up for her runner-up finish at the Mediheal-Korea Daily Championship last week.
"I was worried about the weather in the afternoon, but I was lucky to play in the morning," said Jung. "I didn't think my shots were bad in the opening event in Singapore, but in Thailand and the opening event in Korea, I felt my shots weren't up to my standards. Fortunately, I played well last week, which boosted my confidence. This year, I'm going to focus on the process instead of focusing too much on the goal."