Ryu Hae-ran seizes 36-hole lead at LPGA event in S. Korea

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Yonhap) -- Ryu Hae-ran soared to the top of the leaderboard at the LPGA Tour event in her native South Korea on Friday.

Ryu fired a blistering round of eight-under 64 to seize the 36-hole lead at the BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul.

Ryu, the highest-ranked player in the field this week at No. 3, has yet to make a bogey in this tournament. On Friday, Ryu recorded two eagles on the front nine and added four birdies on the back nine for her second consecutive bogey-free round.

Ryu, who hit every green in regulation and missed just one fairway Friday, holds a two-shot lead over two players -- Kim Min-sun of South Korea and Lauren Coughlin of the United States -- at 13-under 131.

Ryu, 25, is from the nearby town of Yeongam. Her two LPGA wins this season have both come at major championships -- first at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and then at the Amundi Evian Championship. Ryu is now trying to join world No. 1 Nelly Korda and second-ranked Jeeno Thitikul as the only players to notch at least three victories in 2026.

Ryu eagled the first two par-5 holes on this Par-72 course, the second and then the sixth. Ryu then birdied the two remaining par-5s, the 12th and the 17th. Her two other birdies came at the par-3 13th and the par-4 18th.

Kim, a Korea LPGA (KLPGA) member, matched Ryu's 64 on Friday after picking up eight birdies. Kim, 23, is third in money and fourth in the Player of the Year points on the KLPGA Tour this year.

Coughlin stayed in the hunt for her second victory of the year after shooting a bogey-free 66 on Friday.

The low-scoring day at the seaside course saw 48 out of 82 players break 70, after only 17 did so Thursday.