Youmin Hwang Leads LOTTE Championship with a Spectacular Round
HONOLULU – Youmin Hwang, a prominent golfer, shone in the second round of the LOTTE Championship, securing her place in the final group on Friday after an impressive performance. Hwang signed a card of 62 strokes, ten under par, setting the best round in the four years that the tournament has been held at the Hoakalei Country Club. Hwang started his round with an eagle and a birdie, adding eight additional birdies to reach a total of 15 under par (129 strokes). This outstanding performance gives him a three-stroke lead with two rounds to go to conclude the championship. Invited by a sponsor, Hwang has two victories on the Korean LPGA circuit.Hwang tied the tournament record of 62 strokes, previously set by Lizette Salas in the final round of 2013 and Cristie Kerr in the third round of 2017, both at the Ko Olina Golf Course. Akie Iwai, leader of the first round, finished her afternoon participation with a card of 68 strokes, joining Jessica Porvasnik, who recorded 65 strokes, both with a total of 12 under par. Porvasnik, a rookie on the LPGA Tour, finished in fourth position last year on the Epson Tour. Nasa Hataoka of Japan and Gabriela Ruffels of Australia, both achieved 69 strokes to be in 10 under par. Nelly Korda, currently in second place in the ranking, completed her morning round with 67 strokes, finishing at 8 under par. Charley Hull, who shared a group with Korda, finished with 68 strokes, placing her at 7 under par. Brooke Henderson, winner in 2018 and 2019 at Ko Olina, is at 4 under par after her second round of 70 strokes. The current champion, A Lim Kim, is also at 4 under par after a round of 74 strokes. Following this event, the LPGA Tour will move to Asia for a series of consecutive tournaments in Shanghai, South Korea, Malaysia, and Japan.“First, I broke my personal best score,” said Hwang, 22, originally from South Korea. “At the same time, I broke the course record, so I feel very good.”
Youmin Hwang
