Yoon I-na leads KPMG Women's PGA Championship after second round

Yoon I-na held the solo lead for the second straight day at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, moving closer to her first victory since joining the US tour.

Yoon carded five birdies and two bogeys for a 3-under-par 69 on Saturday (Korean Standard Time) at Hazeltine National Golf Club (par 72) in Chaska, Minnesota. Back-to-back rounds in the 60s put her at 12 under par and 132 total, alone at the top heading into the third round.

She was sharp on the front nine, making four birdies to build a firm grip on the lead. The back nine proved more difficult — she dropped a stroke at the par-4 10th for her first bogey of the day, then three-putted the par-3 17th to fall another shot back.

In a post-round interview, Yoon said her front nine was solid but called her back nine "disappointing." Looking ahead to the third round, she added, "I'm very nervous."

Other South Korean players also continued to perform well.

Kim A-lim, the 2020 US Women's Open champion, shot a 2-under-par 70 to reach 7 under par and 137 total, placing her in a tie for second, five strokes behind Yoon.

Yu Hae-ran joined Kim in that group with a bogey-free round featuring eight birdies, sharing second place with Brooke Henderson of Canada and Hataoka Nasa of Japan.

Lee Dong-eun, a rookie on the LPGA Tour this year, sits at 6 under par and 138 total, tied for sixth alongside Nelly Korda of the United States.

World No. 3 Kim Hyo-joo finished the second round at 1 under par and 143 total, tied for 30th alongside world No. 10 Kim Sei-young. Defending champion Minjee Lee of Australia missed the cut after posting a 2-over-par 146.