Portland, USA – South Korea’s Lee5 Jeong-eun seized a one-shot lead in the second round of the LPGA Portland Classic on Friday, firing an impressive five-under-par 67. The 36-year-old, distinguished by her numeral ‘5’ to differentiate her from other players with the same name, is in prime position to capture her first LPGA Tour title.
Lee5’s Putting Prowess and Familiar Success
Lee5 Jeong-eun found success once again at Edgewater Country Club, a venue where she previously tied for second in 2021. Her round was highlighted by a stunning stretch of five consecutive birdies from the fifth through the ninth holes. She added another birdie at the 12th before her lone bogey of the day at the 13th. This stellar performance, which included needing just 25 putts on the greens, moved her atop the leaderboard with a 12-under-par total of 132.
Reflecting on her round, Lee5 noted that she initially tried to stay patient in chilly morning conditions, but after a birdie at the par-five fifth, she felt a “great energy to continue making birdies until hole nine.”
Kim and Kaur in Hot Pursuit
Hot on Lee5’s heels are Evian Championship winner Grace Kim of Australia and India’s Gurleen Kaur, both tied at 11-under par.
- Grace Kim, who secured her first major title last month with a playoff victory at the Evian, delivered a sensational seven-under 65. Her round included an eagle and six birdies for a total of 133. Kim admitted her performance off the tee wasn’t perfect, but credited her strong iron play into the greens and excellent putting. “Had a lot of good range, mid-range to long putts today, so that was nice,” she told Super Sport, adding, “Just rolled it well.” She closed her round with back-to-back birdies at eight and nine, noting that this week is typically a “birdie fest.”
- Gurleen Kaur also finished strongly, carding a four-under 68, including back-to-back birdies on her final two holes, to join Kim one shot back.
Other Notables and Missed History
The leaderboard remains tight, with Akie Iwai, Pajaree Anannarukarn, and Ashleigh Buhai all one shot further back from Kim and Kaur. Overnight leader Adela Cernousek of France experienced a challenging day, carding a three-over-par 75, which saw her fall seven shots off the pace.
LPGA Hall of Famer Juli Inkster, 65, making her first LPGA event appearance since 2022 as she prepares for the US Women’s Senior Open, narrowly missed a piece of LPGA history. She followed her opening 69 with a two-over 74, missing the cut by just one stroke, falling short of breaking the record for the oldest player to make an LPGA cut.
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