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[이데일리 스타in 주미희 기자] ‘Super Rookie’ Hyejin Choi (23) took the lead for two days in a row at the JTBC Classic ($1.5 million in prize money) on the LPGA Tour.
In the second round of the tournament held at Aviara Golf Club (par 72) in Carlsbad, California, USA on the 26th (Korean time), Hyejin Choi hit a 4-under 68 by tying 5 birdies and 1 bogey.
Hyejin Choi, who recorded a total of 9-under-par 135 until the second round, finished tied for second, chasing solo leader Nana Koersz Masen (Denmark) by two strokes.
Choi Hye-jin, who worked as a signboard with 12 victories (2 amateur wins) on the Korean Women’s Professional Golf (KLPGA) tour until last year, and won the grand prize for 3 consecutive years, made her debut in the US as a rookie this year by passing the LPGA Tour Qualifying Series in a joint 8th place last winter. did.
Having had a lot of experience participating in various overseas competitions since the days of the amateur national team, she made a strong impression when competing for the championship as an 18-year-old high school girl at the 2017 US Women’s Open, a major event, and finishing as runner-up following the winner Park Seong-hyeon (29). .
In two tournaments this season, where she previously participated as a member of the LPGA Tour, she finished tied for 8th and tied for 15th, and is running 2nd in the Rookie of the Year award rankings.
This is the first event in regarding 7 weeks following finishing the LPGA Drive-on Championship at the beginning of last month.
Hyejin Choi, who started the second round with a tie for third place by two strokes, caught the first birdie on the 3rd hole (par 3) and then recorded bogie and birdie alternately on the 7th and 8th holes, only reducing one stroke in the first half.
However, following the birdie on the 10th hole (par 5), he caught a 3m birdie on the 12th hole (par 4) and moved up to tied for second. Hyejin Choi, who unfortunately missed her birdie opportunities on the 14th and 17th holes, managed to get her tee shot into the bunker on her last 18th hole (par 4) and put it on the green from a difficult position. Hyejin Choi, who caught a 3m birdie with a bold putt, waved her hand and finished her game with a cute ceremony expressing her joy.
Hyejin Choi said, “It was a bit disappointing that I missed a few birdie opportunities in the second half, but overall, I like today’s play. “She’s very happy that she finished the game well in the end as well,” she said.
He said, “The green here was difficult, so I practiced putting a lot before the competition, and it led to good results. I thought the putting was too strong, so I tried not to be strong, and I controlled it well.
On this day, Hyejin Choi’s fairway landing rate was 78.57% (11/14), and in particular, the green hit rate was high at 88.89% (16/18), and the number of putts on the tricky green was a good fit with 31 putts.
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Jin-young Ko (27), who is ranked No. 1 in the world, recorded a 1-under-par 71 shot by combining 3 birdies and 2 bogeys, and failed to break the 60 at-bat mark for 17 consecutive rounds. Jin-young Ko, who had a record streak of under par for 16 consecutive rounds until the previous day, was unable to show off her iron shot sensation the same as the previous day, and struggled on the green, only reducing one stroke.
Jinyoung Ko started the round uneasy with a bogey on the 2nd and 3rd holes in a row, and made up for all the previous bogeys by catching a birdie on the 5th hole (par 5) 2.5m and the 8th hole (par 5) birdie.
Jinyoung Ko, who jumped into the ranks of the under par by hitting the tee shot 1m to the left of the pin on the 14th hole (par 3) while the shot was shaken, finished the game without adding a birdie on the remaining hole.
With a total of 8-under 136, he came down from the lead in the first round, but maintained the lead with a tie for fourth place by three strokes.
Jinyoung Ko’s streak in at-bats in his 60s was cut off, but he continued his new record in this category by recording 32 consecutive rounds of consecutive under-par.
“It was difficult to hit the green speed and there were difficulties on the green, including three putts,” he said. There is a part of me that feels light because the record march has stopped, and there is a part where I grew up while challenging this record. We will continue to challenge ourselves toward new records.”
Marsen, who became the first Danish to win the LPGA Tour following five years of debut in the previous Honda LPGA Thailand, continued her upward trend toward winning two consecutive championships. He cut five strokes in the second round and took the lead alone with a total of 11-under 133, two strokes ahead of Choi Hye-jin.
Lydia Ko (New Zealand) cut 5 strokes and tied for second place with Hyejin Choi (9 under par 135). Anna Lin (26), who passed the LPGA Tour Qualifying Series as the top, recorded 6 birdies and 1 bogey, and was named joint 4th (8-under 136) with Jin-young Ko.
Defending champion Inbee Park (34) raised the sense of the game to the fullest, hit 4 under par with 5 birdies and 1 bogey, and moved up to tie ninth (5 under par 139), and 4 Korean players recorded the top 10.
Lim Hee-jung (22), a signatory of 4 victories on the Korean Women’s Professional Golf (KLPGA) tour, caught two birdies without bogey, recorded a total of 1-under par 143, and succeeded in advancing to the third round. The cutoff is expected to be an even par.