'First win of the season in sight': Kim Sei-young takes sole lead after Round 3... Yoon In-a also in title contention, three shots back [LPGA]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Sei-young (33, Sportate) has taken a step closer to her first LPGA Tour victory of the season. Yoon In-a (23, Solare), who failed to achieve notable results last year, is now challenging for a comeback win in her second season, moving beyond her debut top-10 finish.

On the 18th (Korean time), Kim Sei-young carded a 7-under-par 65 with seven birdies and no bogeys during the second round of the LPGA Tour JM Eagle LA Championship (total purse $3.75 million) at El Caballero Country Club (par 72) in Los Angeles, California, USA.

With a cumulative total of 14-under-par 130, Kim Sei-young moved from a tie for second place the previous day to sole first place. She overtook Japan's Yui Iwai, who shot 13-under-par 131 on the day by reducing her score by four strokes, by one shot.

Her momentum is strong. After finishing tied for 10th at the Honda Thai LPGA, the season's opening event in February, Kim Sei-young announced a brilliant start. Last month, she finished tied for third at the Founders Cup.

Starting with a birdie on the 1st hole (par 5) and reducing her score by one stroke on the 3rd hole (par 4), Kim Sei-young held par until the 10th hole. From the 11th hole (par 5), she made three consecutive birdies, followed by five more birdies on the 16th (par 5) and 17th (par 3) holes, finishing the second round in sole first place.

Kim Sei-young, who won wire-to-wire at the LPGA Tour BMW Ladies Championship held in Haenam, South Jeolla Province, in October last year, lifting the trophy for the first time in five years, is now aiming for her 14th career victory within six months.

After the round, Kim Sei-young said, "I played very well both yesterday and today. Today, especially in the second half, many birdie opportunities came up, and I was able to make many birdies and create a good score". "Since there are rounds tomorrow and the day after, I think I need to keep working hard to make birdies like I did yesterday and today. I will do my best until the end and play hard".

Her concentration on the back nine holes stood out compared to the front nine. Kim Sei-young said, "I made two birdies early on, then had a period where birdies didn't come. I think staying positive helped me overcome that a bit". "As I relaxed, I found solutions, and the birdies gained momentum. Mental aspects played a big role, so managing one's mindset and maintaining positive thoughts is important. I think I handled that part very well today".

It is crucial to maintain the lead in the remaining two rounds. "Starting the weekend as the leader, I think it's important to play my own game. If I finish strong, I believe I can end in a good position", she expressed confidence.

Yoon In-a, who entered the U.S. stage last year, missed the cut eight times and reached the top 10 only once, is showing a transformed presence in her second season. After finishing tied for sixth at last month's Ford Championship, her best result since her LPGA debut, Yoon In-a shot 4-under-par in the first round to finish tied for 26th. Today, she soared with even sharper shot-making.

Starting from the 10th hole (par 4), Yoon In-a made a birdie on the very first hole and displayed incredible momentum by securing seven birdies in the first nine holes.

Yoon In-a said, "I played an amazing game in the front nine. It was the first time I shot 7-under-par, 29 strokes in the front nine, and even until I made the birdie on the last hole, I didn't realize I was at 7-under. When I checked the leaderboard and saw I was at 7-under, I was surprised and tried not to let it affect me".

Yoon In-a, who aimed to reduce her score by four more strokes, said, "I didn't achieve that, but overall, I played smoothly in the second half, and it was a satisfying round". "Since this course holds good memories from last year, I had confidence. I finished the first two days well, and if I approach the remaining two days calmly like today, I think good results will follow".

Lim Jin-hee (28, Shinhan Financial Group) also finished tied for fourth with a cumulative total of 9-under-par 135. Im Hyang-hyang (33, Volvik) and Park Geum-gang (25, CJ), both at 6-under-par 138, also performed well, finishing tied for 15th. Hwang Yu-min (23, CJ), who joined the LPGA Tour this season, shot 3-under-par 141 to finish tied for 39th and avoid missing the cut.

Meanwhile, Kim Hyo-joo (31), who leads the Player of the Year rankings this year, along with Choi Hye-jin (27, both Lotte) and Lee Min-ji (Australia), withdrew from the tournament.

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*This content was translated by AI.