Moon Jung-min leads Lotte Open by one stroke, ahead of Kim Hyo-joo, Park Ye-ji and Lee Se-hee

Moon Jung-min has taken a one-stroke lead at the KLPGA Tour's Lotte Open.

Moon carded a 4-under-par 68 on Friday at Bears Best Cheongna Golf Club's America-Australasia Course (par 72) in Incheon's Seo-gu, moving to 10-under 134 for the tournament and opening a one-shot advantage over Kim Hyo-joo, Park Ye-ji and Lee Se-hee, who share second place at 9-under 135.

Entering the second round one stroke behind overnight leader Park, Moon wasted no time, draining an 11.7-meter birdie putt on the par-4 1st hole. She added another birdie from 2.3 meters on the par-4 5th, then recovered from a three-putt bogey on the par-4 8th with a 6-meter birdie on the par-4 9th. Back-to-back birdies on holes 10 and 12 gave her two more strokes and lifted her into sole possession of the lead.

"I expected it to be tough today — the wind was much stronger than yesterday and the pin positions were tricky — but my course management and shot execution came together exactly as planned," Moon said after her round. "I'm just happy and satisfied to have made the cut in the lead and to be playing the weekend. For the final two rounds, I want to let go of any pressure and keep playing with confidence, just like I did today."

Kim Hyo-joo posted four birdies against one bogey for a 3-under round, holding a share of second at 9-under 135. Kim had flown straight home after last week's KPMG Women's PGA Championship and appeared to be battling fatigue from jet lag and the long-haul travel.

"Today was definitely harder than yesterday," Kim said. "As I got deeper into the back nine, my body felt heavier and heavier — I was physically worn out and my concentration started to slip a little. My ball-striking also fell off in the second half compared to yesterday, so it was a grind. I'm just glad I managed to get through the tough moments and finish without too much damage."

Park, who had led after the opening round, made five birdies but also dropped three bogeys to fall into a share of second. "My shots were a bit shaky today, which put me in some difficult spots, and I'm disappointed I had more bogeys than yesterday," she said. "But I think I managed things well overall — when I made bogeys I moved on, and when birdie chances came I made sure to convert them."

In her third year on tour, Park is a national team alumna alongside Kim Min-sol, Yoo Hyun-jo and Seo Gyo-rim, who have been among the dominant forces on the KLPGA Tour this season. "They're friends I've played with since we were young, so I genuinely congratulate them and think they're amazing — but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little envious," Park said. "Still, seeing close friends do well motivates me to work harder. When things aren't going my way it's frustrating and I get upset, but I think all of this is a valuable experience that's helping me grow."

Yoo Hyun-jo fired a 5-under 67, making six birdies against one bogey, to reach 8-under 136 and join Lee Da-yeon, Shin Da-eun and Lee Ji-hyeon 3 in a share of fifth place.

Hwang Yu-min managed only a net 1-under round — three birdies offset by two bogeys — to sit at 7-under 137 in sole ninth place.

Kim Min-sol, who played alongside Kim Hyo-joo, shot 1-under 71 to reach 4-under 140, sharing 22nd place with Seo Gyo-rim, who also moved two strokes closer to the lead on the day.

Kim Hyo-joo offered a striking assessment of her national team junior Kim Min-sol. "She gives off an 'AI-like' feeling," Kim said. "I adjust my swing and shot shape depending on the course layout and hole design, but no matter what course you put Kim Min-sol on, she produces the exact same swing — it's like watching a precisely calibrated computer. Her physical attributes are so close to perfect and she has such raw power that her swing plane itself is rock-solid, like a textbook you can't argue with."