Song-Hee Kim leading in second round of the LPGA Hana Bank Championship
Song-Hee Kim is leading the LPGA Hana Bank Championship taking place in Incheon, South Korea. Kim’s second consecutive 68 at the Sky72 Golf Club’s Ocean Course has put her one shot ahead of Na Yeon Choi and at 8-under 136 for 36
holes.
Choi is also the defending champion of the event and will start the round with a score of 7-under 137 and is really hoping to attain this title for the second time. The co-leader of the first round, Vicky Hurst, gave a decent performance
and finished at overall 138 after a 70. The 50-year-old Juli Inkster finished at fourth at 139.
The star of the show, Kim is looking for her first LPGA career title. She gave four back-to-back birdies on the front nine. A performance like this is ought to get her to the top. Song-Hee is currently doing really well as she
had 20 top 10 finishes in her last 26 starts.
“I played really well in the early part of the round,” she said, “but I struggled with my shots in the last part of the round. I managed to overcome the adversity with my putting. I think I can play well (Sunday), if I play the
way I played today.”
Choi and Kim are close friends and according to Kim, that’s a good thing. She said that their friendship is a plus point and will lighten the atmosphere in the final round. Kim and Choi have never played in a final round together,
and since the two of them are best friends, for them even the final round is going to be like a practice round.
Where Kim is trying to win her first title, Choi is attempting to be the first LPGA player to defend a title. The last pro golfer to do that was Lorena Ochoa, who won the Navistar LPGA Classic in 2008 and 2009. Na-Yeon said that
she has confidence right now and is feeling good about the game. Na Yeon agrees that she digressed in the last few holes. Determined about her game, she was going to go to the range and swing some shots and get more focus and self-assurance.
She said that she doesn’t care about the results and will do her best. Choi said she just wants to have fun with Song-Hee. When nerves get to you, having a friend next to you really helps. But if that friend is your competitor,
the situation is not quite the same. Spectators and golf-pundits will soon find out whether the ladies value friendship or victory.
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