The LPGA Tour is visiting Oahu, a Hawaiian island, this week. The winner of the Lotte Championship will be determined over four days at the Hoakalei Country Club. The two German players Isi Gabsa and Esther Henseleit continue to fight for the title on days 3 and 4, while the remaining German players Sandra Gal, Olivia Cowan and Sophia Popov are eliminated following two rounds. After an expandable first lap, Esther Henseleit fought her way up to a shared 39th place, while Gabsa survived the cut on a shared 25th place. At the top, the Korean Hyo Joo Kim is three shots ahead of her Australian pursuer Sarah Kemp.
Isi Gabsa and Esther Henseleit survive the cut on the LPGA Tour
26-year-old Isi Gabsa started the tournament well with a round of 71 on the par-72 course at Hoakalei Country Club. With three bogeys on Day 1, she birdied four to secure the day’s 1-under par score. Unable to improve on Day 2, she plays a round of even par, which is quite enough to secure the cut. Her score remains 1-under par, putting her in the current tie for 25th in the Lotte Championship.
Esther Henseleit’s start to the tournament was more difficult: Although she scored a birdie on the first hole of the tournament, she then conceded a double bogey on hole 3. Two more birdies followed with too many stroke losses, which is why Henseleit recorded a 75 on day 1. Things went much better for the 23-year-old in the second round. With just one bogey in three shot wins, she improved her total by two shots to just 1-over-par. That puts her at T39 and will continue to fight for a top placement in the second half of the tournament.
Conditions at Hoakalei Country Club:
Watch the top shots from a windy round 2 at the @LPGALOTTE ???? pic.twitter.com/AR6dKB3JEh
– LPGA (@LPGA) April 15, 2022
Out for Popov, Gal and Cowan
For Sophia Popov, Sandra Gal and Olivia Cowan it’s already over in Hawaii following day 2. Their performances were not enough to survive the cut. While Gal and Cowan each started the tournament with a round of 76 and only improved slightly on Day 2, Sophia Popov only slumped on Day 2. In Round 1, Popov delivered a solid even with two birdies and two bogeys -par round off. The following day she did not build on this performance, made too many mistakes and wrote a 79 on her scorecard at the end of the day. In addition to six bogeys, her most expensive mistakes were two double bogeys. With 7-over-par, Popov had no chance of making the cut.
Hyo Joo Kim is three shots ahead
Things have gone flawlessly for the Korean Hyo Joo Kim so far. She remained bogey-free on both Day 1 and Day 2, earning five birdies on each. Hardly any competitor might keep up with this performance, so that Hyo Joo Kim clearly breaks away at the top with 10 under par.
Her closest pursuer is Sarah Kemp. In round 1 the Australian even scored 7 birdies, but had to accept a bogey and a double bogey. 4-under par on Day 1, she complemented with a round of 3-under par on Day 2 and is the second-best player following the first half of the tournament at seven under par. Third place is shared by Ariya Jutanugarn and Haeji Kang with 6-under par following two rounds.
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One of Hyo Joo Kim’s five birdies from round 2 of the @LPGALOTTE!
Watch now on @GolfChannel! pic.twitter.com/9xEg8UAggt
– LPGA (@LPGA) April 14, 2022