DB Women's Championship — Round 2
Nine players carded 80 or higher in round one, and two missed the cut under the 88-stroke rule. In round two, 16 players again posted 80 or higher, and a few who shot 80 still advanced. The setup produced unusually high scores across the board. On the 1st, at Rainbow Hills Country Club (par 72) in Eumseong County, Chungbuk, the cut was set at six over par, 150. The DB Women's Championship carries a purse of 1.2 billion KRW (approximately $900,000). An Jae-hee shot an 80 (+8) on the day but held on thanks to a first-round 70, making the cut on the number and sitting tied for 59th at +6 (150).
The most dramatic survival belonged to last year’s money leader Hong Jeong-min. After opening with a 77 and sitting tied for 93rd, Hong bounced back with a 73 (+1) to squeak past the cut. Big hitter Bang Shin-sil also rallied to advance after a nightmare stretch early. She lost five strokes across the opening three holes — bogey at the 3rd (par 3), a triple bogey at the 4th (par 4) and another bogey at the 5th (par 4) — then recovered with four birdies and two bogeys to finish at 75 (+3) and move into a tie for 43rd at +5 (149).
While many players battled the brutal course, one player moved toward the title with almost no resistance.
Ko Ji-won, who opened with a 7-under 65, added five birdies and two bogeys to shoot 3-under on the day and extend her lead to five strokes at 10-under 134. She’s the only player to post back-to-back scores in the 60s this week. After a disappointing 80 on the final day of the Korean Women's Open two years ago, Ko has been aggressively hunting birdies here. Yoo Seo-yeon2 carded an even-par 72 to move into solo second at 5-under 139, while Lee Da-yeon slipped one shot to sit solo third at 4-under 140. Lee Ji-hyun3 improved by four shots and Kim Si-hyun by three, joining Yoo Hyun-jo and Thailand’s Battacharachuta Kongkraphan in a tie for fourth. Kim Min-sol, Han Jin-seon, Cho A-yeon and Park Hye-jun followed in a tie for eighth at 2-under 142.
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