Eagle putt from 11 meters at 17th hole puts her in contention

Kim Hyo-joo, chasing third straight title, sits ninth; Yamashita leads

Park Sung-hyun reads the green during the second round of the Ladies European Tour Aramco Korea Championship at New Korea Country Club in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday. [Aramco Korea Championship]
Park Sung-hyun reads the green during the second round of the Ladies European Tour Aramco Korea Championship at New Korea Country Club in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday. [Aramco Korea Championship]

Park Sung-hyun moved into joint second place after the second round of the Ladies European Tour (LET) Aramco Korea Championship, which carries a $2 million purse, putting herself firmly in contention for the title.

Playing at New Korea Country Club (par 72) in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province on Friday, Park carded a 3-under-par 69, featuring one eagle, three birdies and one double bogey.

Her two-round total of 7-under-par 137 lifted her from joint sixth on Thursday to joint second, level with Sweden's Louise Rydqvist. She sits two strokes behind solo leader Yamashita Miyu of Japan, who is at 9-under-par 135.

Park made an uncertain start, dropping a double bogey at the par-4 third hole, but quickly recovered with back-to-back birdies at the fourth and fifth. She added another birdie at the par-5 eighth to turn at 1-under. On the back nine, she strung together a run of pars before landing the decisive blow at the par-5 17th, where an eagle putt of about 11 meters from the fringe dropped cleanly into the cup, cutting two strokes off her score at once.

Park has spent most of this season on the Epson Tour, the developmental circuit of the US LPGA, and the championship marks a rare chance for her to compete at the top of a leaderboard.

Kim Hyo-joo, bidding to win the event for a third consecutive year, shot a 1-under-par 71 on Friday with three birdies and two bogeys. Her two-round total of 5-under-par 139 leaves her in joint ninth, four strokes off the pace set by Yamashita.

Kim opened with a birdie at the par-4 first hole, then bogeyed the par-4 sixth before bouncing back with a birdie at the par-3 seventh. On the back nine, a birdie at the par-5 13th was offset by a bogey at the par-3 15th, leaving her unable to make further inroads.

Yamashita fired a 4-under-par 68 on Friday to reach 9-under-par 135 and hold the solo lead. Joint second-place Rydqvist posted a bogey-free 5-under-par 67, carding five birdies.

Among the amateurs, national team member Kim Gyu-bin is tied for 22nd at 3-under-par 141, while Lee Dong-eun is tied for 31st at 2-under-par 142.


yjc@heraldcorp.com