Frisco: South Korea's Lee So-mi is positioned five strokes behind the leader after the 36-hole mark at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, the third LPGA major tournament of the season. Lee carded a one-over 73 in the second round of the competition held at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco in northeast Texas.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee stands tied for fifth place with a cumulative score of one-under through 36 holes, trailing the sole leader, Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul. Lee, who joined the LPGA last year following five victories on the Korean tour, is aiming for her inaugural U.S. tour win.
On the par-72 course, measuring 6,532 yards in the second round, Lee recorded four birdies, three bogeys, and one double bogey. Beginning with a bogey on her first hole and a double bogey on the par-4 sixth hole, Lee dropped to one-over for the tournament. She managed to recover with birdies on the seventh and ninth holes, despite a turbulent finish of bogey-birdie-birdie-bogey from the 14th to 17th holes.
"I made a lot of mistakes today, but I made enough birdies to recover my mistakes," commented Lee. "I'm pretty sure I will make a lot of mistakes on the weekend, but I'll try not to panic and focus and finish the tournament. Tomorrow, I'm going to think it is the first day and try to focus like it's my first day and keep going."
Lee is among only seven players under par after two rounds, with the cut line set at seven-over. Other South Korean participants include Bang Shin-sil, tied for eighth place at even par after a 73 in the second round, and three more players tied for 11th at one-over, including Choi Hye-jin, who recently finished as runner-up at the Meijer LPGA Classic.
Ryu Hae-ran's performance took a downturn as she followed her opening round of 70 with an 80, marked by nine bogeys and a single birdie-her worst LPGA round to date. Defending champion Amy Yang did not make the cut, finishing at nine-over after rounds of 76 and 77.
Notably, former major champions, world No. 7 Kim Hyo-joo and No. 14 Ko Jin-young, withdrew from the tournament due to an unspecified injury and illness, respectively. Ko departed the course after a double bogey on the par-4 12th hole, ultimately sitting at 10-over for the tournament.
The temperature in Frisco was around 34°C on Friday.