Youmin Hwang Shines with Impeccable Round at the LOTTE Championship
In a day full of emotions at the LOTTE Championship, Youmin Hwang demonstrated her skill on the golf course, securing a place in the final group for the next round. Hwang, who teed off from the first tee on Thursday, dazzled with an impressive round of 10 under par, achieving a 62, the best score in the four years that the tournament has been held at the Hoakalei Country Club.
The South Korean golfer began her participation with an eagle and a consecutive birdie, showing her determination from the start. Despite a small stumble on the fourth hole, Hwang recovered with eight additional birdies, reaching a total of 15 under par and establishing a three-stroke lead with two rounds to go.
Hwang, who is participating in the tournament thanks to an invitation, has two victories in the Korean LPGA. “First, I broke my personal best score,” declared the 22-year-old. “At the same time, I broke the course record, so I feel very good.” Her performance equaled the tournament record of 62 set by Lizette Salas in 2013 and Cristie Kerr in 2017, both at the Ko Olina Golf Course.
Hwang also shared her impressions of the differences on the course: “I feel like it’s very different, especially the type of grass. It’s very different from Korea and playing on the LPGA of Korea.”
Akie Iwai, from Japan, who led the first round, followed with a 68 to join Jessica Porvasnik, from the United States, at 12 under par.
Porvasnik, LPGA Tour rookie, commented on her game: “I just hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens, gave myself a lot of good opportunities and made some of them.”
Nasa Hataoka from Japan and Gabriela Ruffels from Australia achieved a 69, finishing at 10 under par.
Nelly Korda, ranked second, shot a 67, finishing at 8 under par. “The main difference between today and yesterday was the putts that dropped,” Korda commented. “Today there was a bit more wind than yesterday, so it was fun to play, like to show my creative side.”
Charley Hull, playing alongside Korda, finished at 7 under par with a 68. Brooke Henderson, winner in 2018 and 2019 at Ko Olina, finished at 4 under par after her second round of 70.
A Lim Kim, the defending champion, also finished at 4 under par with a 74.
After this event, the LPGA will head to Asia for a series of tournaments for five consecutive weeks in Shanghai, South Korea, Malaysia, and Japan.
