HAENAM — Yu Hae-ran, 25, the top Korean on the LPGA Tour, and Kim Min-sun, 23, a Korea LPGA standout seeking a move to the U.S. circuit, are battling for the BMW trophy.
Yu made eagles on two par-5s during the second round of the LPGA Tour's BMW Ladies Championship, which continued on the 23rd at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, Gwangju-Jeonnam. The tournament carries a total purse of $2.35 million.
After opening with an eagle at the par-5 2nd hole, Yu added another at the par-5 6th to shave two more strokes. On the 491-yard hole, a downhill tee shot left her 177 yards to the pin, and she put her iron shot within 1.5 meters before converting the eagle putt. That pushed her past Choi Hye-jin and others into sole possession of the lead by two shots. She added four birdies on the back nine. Yu picked up six strokes on the course's four par-5s and moved to 13-under for two rounds, holding a two-shot lead on her own.
While Yu climbed from a share of third to sole first, Kim Min-sun surged from a tie for eighth to a tie for second at 11-under. With the strong winds easing, she matched Yu's eight-stroke improvement. Her 8-under round was the day's best score among players in the field.
Yu, who leads the scoring average race and is closing in on the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average, also moved nearer to a third win of the season. She has already won two majors this year. She also won the Korea LPGA Tour's HiteJinro Championship, a major, earlier this month, making her October run a formidable one.
Kim Min-sun has won two of her three career Korea LPGA Tour titles this year. She plans to enter LPGA Tour Qualifying School soon, but a win this week would send her straight to the U.S. circuit without the need for the test. "This is only my second LPGA Tour start, and shooting 8-under in a day feels great," Kim said. "The thought of competing for a title with the impressive players on the LPGA Tour is exciting. It feels like the chance to go straight to the U.S. has come into view to some extent."
Yu said: "I had two eagles on the front nine, so I was able to cut strokes without a single birdie. It was the first time that has happened for me. I was lucky." She added, "The weather is supposed to turn bad over the weekend, so I'm hoping we get to play in good conditions."
Lauren Coughlin of the U.S. is tied with Kim at second, while Korea LPGA Tour players Kim Min-ju and Park Bo-gyeom sit at 9-under in a tie for sixth and 8-under in a tie for ninth, respectively. Kim Min-sol, the Korea LPGA Tour's money list leader, is also at 8-under, and Choi Hye-jin, chasing a first win in the U.S., is at 7-under. A Korean victory would give the country its seventh LPGA Tour title this year.