Hye-Jin Choi Holds Two-Shot Lead After Second Round of Buick LPGA Shanghai

• Hye-Jin Choi shot a 2-over 74 on Friday and leads the Buick LPGA Shanghai.
• Amy Yang and Grace Kim are tied second, two strokes back.
• Defending champion Jeeno Thitikul is tied seventh at 2-under.

Hye-Jin Choi gave back two shots to par on Friday and still leads the Buick LPGA Shanghai. The South Korean, who opened with a bogey-free 64 to lead by three on Thursday, battled to a 2-over 74 at Sheshan Golf Club. Her 36-hole total is 6-under 138, two clear of Amy Yang and Grace Kim.

A 10-shot swing between rounds would normally cost a leader her place at the top. On Friday it did not, because Sheshan made everyone suffer. The former home of the HSBC Champions is known for its long par-4s and small, undulating greens. With the greens firming up, only six players broke par in the second round. Just nine are under par for the tournament.

Choi made two birdies and four bogeys. She has 12 KLPGA titles but is still looking for her first LPGA Tour win. She has been here before: this is the third time she has held or shared the lead after 36 holes. The last was at the 2025 Maybank Championship, where she finished tied second. Her 10 birdies through two rounds are tied for the most in the field with Carlota Ciganda.

“Actually, my body is not in perfect condition but I am still on the lead,” said Choi. “I’m really looking forward on the weekend, and I’m just going think about tomorrow and Sunday that I’m just playing first and second round. I really want to make my first win.”

Yang the only player under par twice

Yang’s 1-under 71 made her the only player inside the top eight to break par on Friday. She is also the only player in the field with two sub-par rounds. She made four birdies against three bogeys.

“You know, all I can do is just intensely focus on what I have in front of me right at the time,” said Yang. “That’s all I can do. That’s what I’ve been practicing over the years, and, yeah, I think it worked pretty well today.”

Kim plays for the sand

Kim, the 2025 Amundi Evian champion, signed for a level-par 72 with two birdies and two bogeys. Her putter is doing much of the work: she has needed only 52 putts through 36 holes, tied for the third fewest in the field. One of her birdies came without a putt at all, as she holed out from a greenside bunker at the 15th.

The Australian said the firm conditions forced her into some unusual targets off the tee and into the greens.

“There was a couple holes where I honestly just tried to play it for the bunker instead of the green knowing that greens have firmed up,” said Kim. “I guess some of the pin positions were tucked as well or it was kind of on a downslope of our landing area. Yeah, just strategically you really had to be precise.”

“Making sure you’re not trying to be too down on yourself for missing the fairway and having to play into a bunker,” she added. “You just have to make up and down.”

The last two champions lurk

Jeeno Thitikul beat Minami Katsu in a five-hole playoff to win this title in 2025. She followed her opening 69 with a 73 and is tied seventh, four behind Choi. The world No. 2 arrived in China off the back of winning the LOTTE Championship in Hawaii earlier this month. That was her fourth LPGA Tour victory of the season and the 11th of her career.

China’s Ruoning Yin, the champion before Thitikul, is also at 2-under. Thitikul and Choi finished first and second in the 2022 Rookie of the Year race, with Choi second to Thitikul.

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