LYDIA Ko, the Kiwi star who, at just 27, has achieved more in golf than almost anybody in history, roared into contention today with a brilliant second round five-under-par 67 in the HSBC Women’s World Championship at Sentosa in Singapore.
Ko (71, 67) vaulted into second place in the event, referred to as Asia’s ‘major’, just a stroke behind half-way leader A Lim Kim, of Korea, who added a stress-free 69 to her first-round 68.
Minjee Lee could not get her putter working, returning a par round of 72 to sit two-under, tied 12th and only five strokes from the lead. She remains our best chance of retaining the title, won last year by fellow Western Australian Hannah Green.
Most of the world-class field of 66 scored better today, taking advantage of the calmer conditions, and being more familiar with the tricky greens.
But it was Ko who attracted most attention.
Seemingly more relaxed and confident after a stellar 2024, when she won three times on the LPGA Tour and took the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, Ko shot a bogey-free round, picking up birdies at the fifth, eighth, 12th, 13th and 16th, a long par five, where she rifled a nine iron to 4m and sank the putt.
Ko, a three-time major champion, a Hall of Famer and still the youngest player to be ranked No 1 in the world (at 17), is making her 11th appearance at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, an event being contested by nine of the world’s top 10 players.
Describing her round, Ko said she felt it was ‘only marginally better’ than yesterday’s 71. “I played solid yesterday,” she said, “but the conditions made it a lot more difficult to score.
“The wind was calmer today. Not a lot went wrong and I just kept giving myself a lot of good looks.
“I think the real key to me playing well is hitting a lot of greens, and I was able to do that a lot better today. I think that was probably the biggest difference in the score.”
Ko was followed by a large group of supporters, including one man wearing a shirt proudly proclaiming him to be a member of ‘Team Lydia’.
“Obviously I’m very grateful,” Ko said. “There’s a girl who comes with a sign every year, and her mom is pulling her in a cart all the way around the golf course.
“People have shirts with a picture of me – even I don’t want to own a shirt with a picture of me. For them to support me, whether it’s here in Singapore or wherever we play, obviously we are very grateful.”
Ko said the success she had last year had given her the confidence to play with more freedom, and ‘try things’ she wouldn’t have in the past. “It’s a different mindset,” she said.
Korea’s A Lim Kim did little wrong today, beginning quickly with birdies at the first, fourth and nine holes, and following up with more birdies at the 10th and 13th. But bogeys at three and four kept her lead to just one stroke.
She was pleased with her shot-making and putting, but said she was having difficulty reading the greens.
“The grain is very strong and then there is the slope,” she said. “So we have to calculate slope and grain and it is very tricky. But everybody is in the same situation, so keep working hard.”
England’s Charley Hull, who begins each day with a run through the streets of Singapore – today’s distance she calculated at 12km – played solid golf for a two-under 70, and lies in equal third place on five-under-par, two strokes from the lead.
“I played a good shot on the first but missed the putt,” she said. “Then I got on to a good start from there. I played decent. Missed a couple short putts, but bounced back on the back nine. Looking forward to tomorrow.”
Her plans for the evening? “Just chill. Go to bed early. Sleep. I’m tired.”
Hull shares third place with Korea’s Hyo-joo Kim, who had four birdies and an eagle in her round of 66 – equal best of the day.
Kim, a six-time LPGA Tour winner and a major champion, played a bogey-free round, which included birdies on the first, fourth, sixth, 16th and an eagle three on the 13th.
Defending champion Hannah Green played much better today, slotting four birdies in her round of three-under 69. She’ll be disappointed taking a bogey six on the eight hole – her second last – but at even par after 36 holes she is only seven strokes from the lead.
Of the other Australians, Gaby Ruffels (80, 71) is 57th, Steph Kyriacou (82, 70) is 59th, and Grace Kim (78, 77) is in a tie for 63rd, all seemingly out of contention.
Inside Golf is a proud media partner of the HSBC Women’s World Championship, which concludes on Sunday.
