36-hole leader Ryu Hae-ran 'happy' with state of game at LPGA event: 'Everything is good for me.'

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Yonhap) -- After grabbing the lead at the halfway mark of the LPGA Tour event on her home soil Friday, Ryu Hae-ran said she was pleased with the state of her game entering the weekend.

Ryu carded a bogey-free round of 64 in the second round at the BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul. She is at 13-under 131, two better than fellow South Korean Kim Min-sun and American veteran Lauren Coughlin.

Ryu made two eagles on the front nine and four birdies on the back nine. Over the first two rounds, Ryu has not yet made a bogey. She has been dialed in with her shotmaking, having missed just two fairways and one green this week.

"Today was an amazing day. I really worried about the wind, but today's wind was much better than yesterday," Ryu said. "That is why I hit a lot of greens today. Everything is good for me. I am happy right now."

Her putting, though, has been a different story, as she needed 32 putts to get around each of the first two rounds.

For the season, Ryu ranks among the best on the tour in advanced and conventional ball-striking stats but sits outside the top 100 in putting stats.

"I was able to go after pins with short irons because I drove the ball so well today," she said. "But I missed a few short putts. I could have had an even better score today."

Kim, a two-time winner on the Korea LPGA (KLPGA) Tour this year, is within striking distance of Ryu at the midway point at 11-under. She made eight birdies in her bogey-free second round while hitting 13 of 14 fairways and reaching 16 out of 18 greens in regulation.

Kim, who is playing at her second career LPGA event, said she is excited about being in contention with U.S. tour veterans.

Kim has earlier said she will enter the LPGA Tour's qualifying tournament later this year, but she can take a shortcut by winning the BMW Ladies Championship.

Any nonmember who wins an LPGA event becomes eligible for the U.S. tour membership -- either immediately or at the start of the following season.

"I didn't come to this tournament trying to win it, and I am happy to be near the top of the leaderboard at this point," Kim said. "But now that I have a great opportunity at hand, I will try to stay locked in on my own rhythm and routine. LPGA players tend to play a little faster than KLPGA players, but I will try not to let it affect my game."

Kim said she has already learned a great deal from playing alongside LPGA players this week.

"They can hit many different types of shots, and once they commit to a decision, they take aggressive swings," Kim said. "I want to be able to play with the same type of conviction and confidence. They also have pretty precise short game around the greens, and I need to be better in that aspect."

Ryu was still out on the course while Kim was fulfilling her media obligations. Kim said it would be "an honor" to play in the same group with Ryu at this tournament. And Kim got her wish, as the two South Koreans have been paired together for the final group for Saturday.

They will be joined by Coughlin, who will try to win her second title of 2026. The American also played with Ryu in the second round.

"Hae-ran and I get along really well. Her caddie, Martin (Bozek), is one of my really good friends. We always enjoy playing together," Coughlin said. "She is so good. So it is kind of fun to go toe-to-toe with her."

With rain in the forecast over the weekend, Coughlin said she was bracing for a scrappy home stretch.

"I prefer wind over rain, but I think if we can play, it is going to be a grind," she said. "The course is going to play way different. And just going to try to make as many pars as I can and hopefully roll in a few putts."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)