Korean Day on the LPGA Tour

It was “Korean Day” on the LPGA tour on Sunday.

Korean players ranked the first through sixth in the second round of the $1.4 million LPGA Safeway Classic held at the Columbia Edgewater Country Club (par-72) in Portland, Oregon on August 21.

Kang Soo-yeon (Samsung Electronics) fired a 12-under par 132 to move into position for her first victory in the U.S. Jang Jeong (25), the British Open winner, and Park Hee-jeong (CJ) were nine-under par to share second place, three strokes off the pace.

Meanwhile, Han Hee-won (Fila Korea), trying to win a championship for two years running, and Song A-ree (Himart) shared fourth place (eight-under par), and Kim Joo-mi (Himart) and Lim Seong-a (MU) shared sixth place (seven-under par).

It was the first time that seven Koreans finished a round, ranking first through sixth on the U.S. LPGA tour.

Although Australia’s Karrie Webb also finished the round in sixth place, there was no other competitor in the game, a situation which made the Koreans compete with each other.

Kang Soo-yeon, who fired an eight-under par 64 in the first round, saved four strokes at the second round with one eagle, five birdies, and three bogeys. She eagled the par-four 15th hole when she sent her second shot into the cup with an eight-iron from 136 yards out.

Young-Sik Ahn ysahn@donga.com