Golfer Jang Eun-soo Claims Sole Lead at KLPGA Hana Financial Group Championship

Jang Eun-soo, who claimed her first win last August in her 10th year on the Korea Women's Professional Golf (KLPGA) regular tour, took the sole lead at the halfway point of the Hana Financial Group Championship (total purse of 1.5 billion won).

Playing in the second round of the tournament held today (September 18) at the West and South courses of The Heaven Country Club (par 72) in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Jang carded three birdies without a bogey for a 3-under-par 69.

Navigating a course characterized by narrow fairways and deep rough, Jang played her second consecutive bogey-free round, bringing her intermediate total to 4-under-par 140 to claim the sole lead.

Hwang Yu-min, Hong Jin-young, and Kim Min-sun tied for second place at 3-under-par 141, one stroke behind Jang.

Lee Se-hee sits in fifth place at 2-under-par 142.

Jang broke her 10-year title drought by winning the Jeju Samdasoo Masters held last August.

Riding the momentum from a third-place finish at the KG Ladies Open later that same month, Jang has positioned herself to secure her second win of the season within a month.

Although her fairway accuracy was limited to 43 percent, Jang raised her greens in regulation to 78 percent and did not miss a single putt from inside 3 meters.

Starting from the 10th hole, Jang picked up a birdie on the 11th hole (par 5) and maintained par before sinking a thrilling 11-meter birdie putt on the 1st hole (par 4).

On the 7th hole (par 4), she landed her second shot 1 meter from the pin for an easy birdie to surge to the top of the leaderboard.

"I am amazed myself that I did not drop a single bogey on such a difficult course," Jang said. "In the remaining rounds, rather than being conscious of bogeys, I will play according to the situation."

Hwang Yu-min, who is competing in the domestic tournament during a break in the LPGA Tour, briefly took the sole lead after making a birdie on the 6th hole (par 5) followed by a shot eagle on the 9th hole (par 4).

With 134 yards remaining to the pin, her second shot with a 9-iron went straight into the cup.

However, Hwang dropped to a tie for second after carding consecutive bogeys on the 12th hole (par 3) and 13th hole (par 4).

Amateur national team player Yang Yun-seo, who will compete in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, recorded three bogeys but managed one eagle and two birdies to finish 1-under.

Yang tied for sixth place at 1-under-par 143 alongside Chisagi Iwai (Japan) and Park Min-ji, advancing to the third round.

Lee Da-yeon, the champion of this tournament last year and in 2023, passed the cut in a tie for 23rd place at 2-over-par 146.

Minjee Lee (Australia), who engaged in playoff battles when Lee Da-yeon won her two titles, missed the cut by one stroke with an intermediate total of 7-over-par 151.

Seo Kyo-rim, who has four wins this season, and Kim Min-sol, who has three wins, played in the same group for two days and both finished at 4-over-par 148, advancing to the third round in a tie for 38th place.

As players continued to struggle on the difficult course during the second round, the number of players under par dropped from 15 the previous day to 8.

(Photo provided by KLPGA, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.