Translation result
[Herald Economy — Jo Yong-jik] Ko Ji-won held the 36-hole lead at the inaugural KLPGA event, the DB Women’s Championship (1.2 billion KRW purse, approximately $900,000).
Ko carded a 3-under 69 in the second round Monday at Rainbow Hills Country Club in Eumseong, North Chungcheong (par 72), making five birdies and two bogeys. Her opening 7-under 65 put her in the lead, and she sits at 10 under (134) through two rounds.
She leads second-place Yoo Seo-yeon by five strokes; Yoo is 5 under at 139.
Since debuting on the KLPGA in 2023, Ko has three career victories: the Jeju Samdasoo Masters in July 2025, the S-Oil Championship in November, and the Siena Open — the domestic season opener for 2026 — which she won earlier last month.
Ranked sixth on the money list (221,350,000 KRW, approximately $166,013) and sixth in season points (97), Ko has positioned herself to break away this week and strengthened her case for a second win this season as she passes the midway point.
Blustery conditions kept scoring tough for much of the field. Ko, who started on the 10th tee, birdied the 11th (par 3) to make the front nine in one under. On the back nine she bogeyed the 3rd (par 3) but then rattled off three straight birdies starting at the 4th (par 4) to regain momentum.
“I played conservatively early and kept things under control,” Ko said. “Those three consecutive birdies on the back nine came from a bit of luck and feeling great with my shots. The forecast calls for rough weather tomorrow, so I expect more long putts — I’ll focus my practice on that.”
Lee Da-yeon is third at 4 under (140). Yoo Hyun-jo is tied for fourth at 3 under (141), and Kim Min-sol is tied for eighth at 2 under (142).
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