Honda LPGA Thailand Round 2

South Korea’s Somi Lee authored a masterclass in precision on Friday, carding a tournament-record 11-under-par 61 to seize the 36-hole lead. Lee’s round was nothing short of spectacular, highlighted by an eagle 2 on the par-4 15th where she holed out from the fairway. Combined with nine birdies and zero blemishes, her performance brought her to 17-under-par total, establishing a three-shot cushion and putting the rest of the field on notice. The local galleries had plenty to celebrate as well, as World No. 1 Jeeno (Atthaya) Thitikul celebrated her 23rd birthday in style. Thitikul surged into solo second place with a 9-under 63, a round fueled by a sensational front-nine stretch where she recorded four birdies and an eagle in just six holes. Despite "cooling off" with six straight pars on the back nine, a closing birdie on the 18th kept her at 14-under-par and firmly in the final pairing for Saturday. Japan’s Chizzy Iwai also made waves with a bogey-free 62 to move into a tie for third with Lydia Ko, who continued her resurgence with a clinical 64. Meanwhile, defending champion Angel Yin struggled to find her rhythm, carding a 75 to fall to even-par for the tournament—now 17 strokes behind the blistering pace set by Lee.