Kim Min-sol leads by one despite double bogey; Seo Gyo-rim drops to T-12

Kim Min-sol surged to a one-stroke lead at the KLPGA Tour Mediheal·Korea Ilbo Championship, which carries a purse of 1.2 billion won ($848,000).

Playing the second round Friday at Mongvert Country Club's Myeongseongsan Course (par 72) in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Kim carded eight birdies and one double bogey for a 6-under-par 66, moving to 9-under 135 for the tournament — one ahead of joint runners-up Lee Da-yeon and Noh Seung-hee.

Starting from the 10th hole (par 4), Kim dominated from the outset. She relied on precise iron play and confident putting from mid and long range to collect five birdies, making them at Nos. 10, 12 and 14 in a run of alternating holes, then sinking putts of 1.5 meters and 5 meters at Nos. 16 and 17.

Kim kept her momentum on the back nine with consecutive birdies at Nos. 1 and 2, but ran into trouble at the par-5 3rd when her third shot was ruled a lost ball, drawing a penalty stroke. She made double bogey with a five-on, two-putt. She steadied herself with a string of par saves before closing with a 3.5-meter birdie at the par-5 6th to head into the third round with a one-shot lead.

Reflecting on the incident at the 3rd, Kim said her third shot drifted left into an area with no room and was declared a lost ball, leading to the double bogey. "I just told my caddie, 'I hit an OB with an 8-iron,' and we laughed it off," she said.

Asked about the prospect of becoming the first player in tour history to win four times as a rookie, Kim said she was not focused on the milestone. "I'm technically in my rookie season, but I also played in the second half of last season, so I'm not putting too much pressure on myself over it," she said. "I think if I focus on the process and how I approach each shot, the results will naturally follow."

Lee Da-yeon, who won the Aurora World Championship two weeks ago, posted a bogey-free 4-under round to reach 8-under 136, joining Noh Seung-hee — who also shot 3-under on the day — in a share of second place.

"Winning two weeks ago gave me my 10th career title, which was one of my goals, and that has taken some of the pressure off," Lee said. "I'm happy to have carried that momentum through the second round. I'll give everything I have to win at my sponsor's tournament and leave the rest to fate."

Ahn Ji-hyun of Mediheal shot a 5-under 67 to reach 6-under 138, joining Ma Da-som, Lee Ga-young and Choi Ye-rim in a share of third place. After a bogey at No. 1, Ahn reeled off six birdies over the remaining holes.

Seo Gyo-rim, who had shared the lead through Thursday, dropped a stroke and fell to 4-under 140, joining Ji Han-sol, Han Jin-sun, Han A-reum, Kim Min-ju, Jeon Seung-hee and Hwang Yu-na in a tie for 12th.

Kim A-rim posted back-to-back 1-under rounds to sit at 2-under 142, tied for 27th alongside Kim Min-byeol, Yoo Hyun-jo and Yang Hyo-jin.

Jang Eun-su, who claimed her first win in 10 years on tour at last week's Jeju Samdasoo Masters, shot 1-over in each of her two rounds and missed the cut at 2-over 146. Im Hee-jeong, Park Hyun-kyung and Park Sung-hyun also failed to advance.