Hye-Jin Choi secured a share of the lead at The Annika after carding a three-under 67 on Friday at the Pelican Golf Club. She sits alongside Carlota Ciganda and Lindy Duncan at 12-under 128 heading into the weekend, while world No. 1 Nelly Korda dropped four shots off the pace.
Chasing the First LPGA Victory
Choi overcame a slow start that included two early bogeys and another on the 14th hole. She recovered with a series of birdies and hit a strong approach shot on the par-five seventh that rolled out to leave a 15-foot eagle putt, which she converted. Choi has been an LPGA member for five years and previously finished as runner-up at the 2017 US Women’s Open as an amateur, alongside recent runner-up finishes in Shanghai and South Korea during the Asian swing.
Playing alongside Korda through the first two rounds helped prepare Choi for the weekend pressure, as she noted in comments reported by Sky Sports. She expressed confidence in drawing on her recent experience playing in championship groups.
Korda and the Leading Contenders
Korda played a bogey-free round of 69 consisting of 15 straight pars, one birdie, and two closing pars. Returning from a two-month break, Korda pointed to the windy conditions and exceptionally fast Bermuda greens as major defensive challenges on the course, adding that she had missed several opportunities.
Ciganda surged into the leading group by birdying her final four holes to finish with a 63. Duncan, a 35-year-old Floridian searching for her first LPGA Tour victory, shot a 66 to hold a share of the 36-hole lead for the first time in her career, noting that the fast-moving week had helped her maintain momentum.
Race to the CME Globe
Mao Saigo and Minami Katsu sit two shots behind the leaders at 10-under. Meanwhile, Spain’s Julia Lopez Ramirez moved to nine-under 131 following a strong performance that boosted her chances of cracking the top 60 in the Race to the CME Globe, a position needed to advance to next week’s season finale in Naples.
England’s Lottie Woad and Charley Hull both finished the second round seven shots off the lead at seven-under after shooting matching 67s on Friday. Round three of the tournament begins at 7pm on Saturday and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Mix.
