Staff WriterThe LOTTE Championship delivered a second-round sizzler on Friday as Korea’s Youmin Hwang matched the tournament record with a breathtaking 10-under-par 62 at Hoakalei Country Club.
With the trade winds barely ruffling her shirt sleeves, the 21-year-old KLPGA star put on a ball-striking clinic to take the outright lead at 15-under heading into the weekend.
Hwang, who received a sponsor invite to the 2025 LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei, opened her round with an eagle on the par-5 1st, then proceeded to birdie six of her closing nine holes for good measure.
By day’s end, she’d hit 9 of 14 fairways, 16 of 18 greens, and needed only 25 putts — tying the second-lowest total on the day.
“Tee to green especially my iron shot was perfect. I felt just right for every club I play for the second shot as well. My putting I thought was perfect,” she said, rather understating what was, in every sense, a personal career masterpiece. It was the lowest round of her professional life, across both the LPGA and KLPGA Tours.
Rising to the Occasion
This is Hwang’s third crack at the LOTTE Championship, having finished T9 in 2023 and T35 in 2024. She’s currently Rolex World No. 53 and has already made the cut in three majors this season — the U.S. Women’s Open, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the Amundi Evian Championship — but she’s still chasing her first LPGA title. With two KLPGA victories under her belt, Friday’s fireworks suggest she’s getting rather comfortable on American soil.
She heads into the weekend two shots clear of Akie Iwai and Jessica Porvasnik at 15-under. Both players kept the pressure on with polished rounds of their own.
Iwai opened with a birdie hat-trick on holes 1–3 en route to a 4-under 68. The Japanese rookie has been machine-like through two rounds, leading the field in total greens in regulation (33 of 36) and matching the tournament’s birdie count leaderboard with 14. Impressively, this is her first appearance at the LOTTE Championship.
Porvasnik, meanwhile, produced a bogey-free 65, hitting every fairway and every green — a statistical unicorn in professional golf. She’s carded just one bogey through 36 holes and, as far as personal bests go, Friday’s score was her finest round yet on the LPGA Tour.
“Just to stay patient. You can’t look too far ahead. I kind of learned that through golf in my amateur and professional career. One shot at a time and hopefully everything works out,” Porvasnik said of her weekend mindset.
Familiar Names, Fierce Chase
Behind the leading trio lurk several formidable names. Gabriela Ruffels and Nasa Hataoka sit tied at 10-under, both eyeing a charge over the final 36 holes. Ruffels summed up her calm approach nicely:
“I think naturally I’m pretty calm. I definitely work on it. Kind of comes naturally, but I do work on it a little bit, too. Yeah, I mean, I love competing and I love being out here. This is so fun to me to be in this position.”
Hataoka, a proven closer, knows exactly where she needs to sharpen up. “Yeah, I couldn’t make any good putt today, so, yeah, I need to hit harder weekend. So, yeah, especially focus on my putting this weekend.”
Brooke Matthews sits at 9-under, with Charley Hull, Allisen Corpuz, Megan Khang and a cluster of others hovering at 7-under. Among the 73 players who made the cut at 1-under or better are three past champions — A Lim Kim, Hyo Joo Kim and Brooke Henderson — and two Hawai‘i natives, Corpuz and Mariel Galdiano, giving the home fans plenty to cheer for.
Records in Sight
Hwang’s 62 equals the lowest round in LOTTE Championship history, alongside Lizette Salas (2013) and Cristie Kerr (2017). She’s also within striking distance of the 36-hole scoring record (128, Yuka Saso, 2021) and Lydia Ko’s 72-hole benchmark of 260 set the same year. Should the Korean rookie keep this up, the Hoakalei record books may need a few new pages.
More Than Just Golf
There’s a sense of transition and shared stories swirling around the tournament too. Pernilla Lindberg, the 2018 ANA Inspiration winner, is playing her final event before retirement.
“Besides that, I would say playing 16 years out here, that’s I think a lot longer that I could ever have dreamed of. It’s gone by in a flash,” she reflected through tears.
Meanwhile, Hawaiian amateur Honorine Nobuta Ferry, who sits at +4, has been soaking up the experience of competing alongside the world’s best.
“Every day I play with pros there is so much to learn from them, like whether it’s shots they hit or how they react, their mental, just everything is on another level. So I’m really happy I got to experience and see that today and hope to apply that to my game in the future.”
Weekend Forecast
The stage is set for a fascinating weekend at Hoakalei. With 12 rookies still in the mix, multiple past champions lurking, and one blistering 62 already in the books, the 2025 LOTTE Championship looks primed for a dramatic finish.
Whether Hwang can sustain her remarkable form under the weekend glare remains to be seen — but for now, she’s in full command, swinging like she’s been here all along.
