South Korea’s Kim Sei-young and Danielle Kang of the US each fired a five-under-par 66 to share the lead after Friday’s second round of the Women’s PGA Championship.
Kim and Kang, each seeking their first major titles, both stood on seven-under 135 after 36 holes at Olympia Fields near Chicago.
One stroke adrift was a pack including England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Brittany Lincicome of the US and South Koreans Lee Mi-hyang, Chella Choi and Amy Yang.
Photo: AP
Kim, runner-up two years ago, has won 11 career titles, seven of them on the LPGA Tour, the most recent at the Lorena Ochoa Match Play in May.
However, none of those compare to the one she yearns for.
“I don’t have any win at the major championship, not yet,” Kim said. “Beginning of the year, setting my goals, I really wanted to win a major championship. So I prepared a lot with my caddie and with my coaches. Yeah, it means a lot to me.”
Kim began on the back nine and birdied the par-four 13th and 14th, and closed with another at 18.
Her lone bogey of the day came on the par-four third, but she responded with birdies at the par-four fifth, par-three seventh and par-four eighth.
“Fortunately when I teed off, a little less windy, so I was able to attack to the pin,” Kim said. “So I made a lot of opportunities for the birdies. When I hit a tee shot a little into the wind, a little long distance, so I had to hit a lot of long irons.”
Kang got another birdie at the 12th and closed with one to put herself level for the lead.
“I kept my game plan and both [rounds are] bogey-free, so I’m pretty happy,” Kang said. “And I kept sticking to the iron shots that I trusted all my life and giving myself opportunities.
Candie Kung was the best-placed of the Taiwanese after a second-round 68 left her on 139 overall.
Hsu Wei-ling was two shots back, while Min Lee was an additional two shots behind on 143.
Yani Tseng, who shot a 72, and Chien Pei-yun (75) missed the cut.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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