Tournament Highlights Round 2 – Thursday, November 5, 2024

FOUR TIED ATOP LOTTE CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD AFTER SECOND ROUND

Two LPGA Tour rookies. A former Epson Tour Player of the Year. One major champion.

Four players sit tied for the lead of the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei after 36 holes, with three of those players looking for their first LPGA Tour victories. The 2020 U.S. Women’s Open champion A Lim Kim shares the top spot of the leaderboard with rookie Nataliya Guseva, three-time JLPGA winner Yuri Yoshida and seven-time Epson Tour champion Ruixin Liu at 9-under in Ewa Beach. Guseva and Yoshida shot 5-under 67s on Thursday, as both 2024 freshmen Members hold individual post-round leads on Tour for the first time in their careers. Despite one bogey on the card (No. 17), Guseva knocked in four birdies and an eagle on the par-4 7th to card her lowest individual second-round score this season.

“I holed it out from 110 meters which was probably the highlight of the day today. I didn't even see the ball going in, but, no, it was cool, ” said Guseva. “I like that it just brings you more fire into you and I was just like, you know, just go out there with the confidence and make more birdies.”

Yoshida, who entered the week ranked No. 132 in the Race to CME Globe, carded six birdies and one bogey en route to 9-under, the lone player of the morning wave to share the lead. “I played well [in the] wind today, so I focus on catch the green and green speed today, ” said Yoshida, who has yet to record a top-10 result this season.

Liu, who won on the Epson Tour this year at the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic, shot a 68 to record her lowest 36-hole score since the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G in 2023. Rounding out the challengers is the 18-hole leader Kim, who had an adventure of a second round. Starting on No. 10, Kim posted two birdies, two bogeys and two pars in her first six holes and finished out her front nine with a birdie on the 18th. With momentum on her side, she went on to birdie four of the next six holes after the turn and got to 11-under heading to the seventh tee, before dropping two shots in her final two holes to finish with a second-round 69.

“Today feel like a little change the wind every time, every single hole, so some hole made mistake and some hole I think it's great, ” said Kim. “So that's golf.”

LPGA Tour winner Ryann O’Toole posted a bogey-free 66, her third blemish-free round of the 2024 LPGA Tour season, to sit in solo fifth at 8-under. Auston Kim also recorded a 66 on day two and sits just two shots out of the lead in sixth. “I know I have the skills. I know I'm capable. I just kept reminding myself of that, that I'm capable. I want to feel confident over my shots and focus on what I can do, ” said Kim. “So just being really kind to myself knowing I can do it, and I feel like that's been the biggest difference this week. It's, again, been a long year, a lot of learning. If I just believe in myself, I know that I can do anything.”

Five players are tied for seventh at 6-under, including six-time LPGA Tour winner Nasa Hataoka, who shot the week’s lowest round on Friday – an 8-under 64, matching her season low. Defending champion Grace Kim’s 4-under 68 carried her to a tie for 15th, while two-time LOTTE champion Brooke Henderson is among a tie for 21st at 3-under. There were 65 players to make the cut at even par, including major champion Angela Stanford. Stanford went out in 37, and was in danger of missing the cut as she hit 3-over total heading to the 14th hole. Admittingly frustrated, and determined to make the cut in what could be her final event of her professional career on Tour, Stanford carded two birdies on 14 and 16, and chipped in for eagle on 18 to slide into the next two days.

“I hate missing cuts. I've just always hated missing cuts. I got kind of frustrated on the back because I'm like, no, I want to play, ” said the 2001 LPGA Tour rookie. “So just kind of put my head down and basically just said whatever you can do to get it in the hole, get it in the hole.”

LEADERBOARD - Round 2

    Player       To par  Score
T1 Nataliya Guseva -9   68-67—135
T1 Yuri Yoshida    -9   68-67—135
T1 Ruixin Liu      -9   67-68—135
T1 A Lim Kim       -9   66-69—135
5  Ryann O’Toole   -8   70-66—136
6  Auston Kim      -7   71-66—137