Auston Kim maintains sole lead after Day 2 of HSBC Women’s World Championship
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American world No. 39 Auston Kim remains the sole leader at the HSBC Women's World Championship after the second round at Sentosa Golf Club on Feb 27.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
- Auston Kim leads the HSBC Women's World Championship at nine-under 135, her first solo lead at an LPGA event. She feels "most alive" and aims for her maiden win.
- Australia's Minjee Lee shot a flawless 64, moving into second place at eight-under 136, one stroke behind Kim. Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn and Korea's Ryu Hae-ran also trail closely.
- Defending champion Lydia Ko is tied-27th at two-under 142. Singapore's amateur Chen Xingtong is tied-44th, while Shannon Tan is joint 67th.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – For the second day in a row, Auston Kim finds herself in an unfamiliar position as she stands alone atop the leaderboard at the HSBC Women’s World Championship.
The American golfer, who had never led after any round at an LPGA event before coming to Singapore, is relishing the experience.
Following up her opening six-under 66 with a 69 in the second round on Feb 27, Kim moved to nine-under 135 at the US$3 million (S$3.8 million) tournament.
The 25-year-old sits a stroke ahead of Australian Minjee Lee (64), Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn (67) and Ryu Hae-ran (68) of South Korea as they head into the weekend.
The world No. 39 said: “I’ve never been in this position before, so it’s a cool feeling. I’m trying to embrace every single moment right now and every single moment I’m out there competing and playing golf, it’s a win.
“There’s only things to gain, so I’m trying to take that to heart and enjoy competing. This is when I feel most alive so I’m really enjoying myself and having a lot of fun in the process.”
At Sentosa Golf Club’s Tanjong Course, Kim looked in control for most of her round, as five birdies in her first 15 holes helped her stretch her advantage to three shots at one stage.
The only blemish on her scorecard was a double bogey on the par-five hole No. 16, which she four-putted, but Kim remained unflustered and maintained her place at the top.
A promising first two rounds has put her in a good position for a shot at her maiden LPGA title, but she is not thinking too far ahead.
She said: “There’s a bit more focus in each shot that I’m hitting and being really intentional with what I want and what I’m looking for each time, and just trying to stay as present as I can.
“I have a tendency to think about the future a lot, so I’m just reeling myself back in and staying as patient and as calm as I can, and it’s working.”
Retaining her position will not be easy, with 22 players within five strokes of the lead.
World No. 4 Lee, who is playing her first event of the 2026 season, produced the day’s lowest round with a flawless 64 – matched only by American Angel Yin – that featured six birdies and an eagle on the par-four second hole.
Her impressive performance in the second round moved her into contention from tied-28th after an even-par 72 on the first day.
Even after a blistering round, the three-time Major winner went straight back to work, keeping her post-round interviews short so she could spend some time at the practice range.
On whether she did anything different during the off-season, the 29-year-old said: “I haven’t done too much differently but I had a whole bunch of time off this year.
“It’s probably the longest time I’ve ever been away from golf. I’ve obviously been training, I also put in a new driver, so that’s in the bag this week.”
It was a tougher day for the home contingent in the 72-player field. Amateur Chen Xingtong, who opened with a promising two-under 70, slipped to a two-over 74, dropping to tied-44th at even-par 144.
World No. 90 Shannon Tan is joint 67th with a six-over 150 total, after the 21-year-old shot a three-over 75 for the second consecutive day.
Defending champion Lydia Ko from New Zealand carded an even-par 72 and is tied-27th at two-under 142.
