South Korean Park In-bee took the sole possession of the lead at halfway point in the women's golf tournament at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on Thursday.

Park In-bee fired her second straight round of five-under 66 at the par-71, 6,425-yard Olympic Golf Course. She leads Stacy Lewis of the United States by one stroke with two rounds to go.

Park began the day tied for second place with fellow South Korean Kim Sei-young. Park traded two birdies with a bogey on the quiet front nine, but recorded four more birdies on the back nine, including three of the last four holes.




"I putted better than yesterday, and after the tee shot at the 10th, I didn't make any mistake on the back nine," she said. "I am feeling great and I hope to keep this up over the next two days."

Park reached 17 greens in regulation while missing just two fairways.

Chun In-gee is the next best South Korean at six-under, in a five-way tie for eighth. For the second straight round, Chun was all over the place on the score card. She picked up two eagles along with four birdies, one bogey and one double bogey for a 66.

She followed up her opening birdie with a bogey. She had a double bogey at the par-5 fifth but got a shot back with a birdie on the next hole.

Chun then chipped in for an eagle at the par-4 ninth, a 324-yard hole, and picked up two more birdies at the 10th and 13th.

She said she was better prepared mentally for the second round.

"I haven't been hitting the ball that well of late, and the pressure of the Olympics held me back in the first round," she said. "Today, I decided I'd just go out and play."

Amy Yang enjoyed a major turnaround. A day after shooting the worst round among four South Koreans with a ho-hum 73, she posted the best score in the contingent with a six-under 65, which included seven birdies and a bogey. At four-under for the tournament, Yang is tied for 17th with four others.

Yang went on a birdie binge on the front nine in the second round. She birdied the opening hole, and then strung together four in a row starting at the par-4 third. Yang made the turn at five-under for the day, and three-under for the tournament.

She gave a shot back with a bogey at the 12th, the start of what many say is the toughest three-hole stretch on the course.

She parred her way out of those holes and finished off her day with birdies at 17th and 18th.




Kim also a wild ride on Thursday, as her round of 73 included two birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. She fell to tie for 22nd at three-under.

That double bogey came at the par-4 third. She came right back with birdies at fifth and ninth, but didn't have another birdie the rest of the day.

She didn't have another birdie the rest of the day, and instead she bogeyed the 10th and the 12th en route to a mediocre round.

"I just didn't hit well, and this was a really disappointing day," Kim said. "And I struggled with my putter, too. I almost thought it was playing with me. This was a tough day, but I'll try to identify the problems and play better over the next two days."

Lewis had a blistering round of 63, highlighted by 11 birdies. She also had one bogey and one double bogey.

The first round leader, Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, shot an even-par 71 with three birdies and three bogeys to fall to eighth place.

By Yonhap News