Ryu Hae-ran seizes 36-hole lead at LPGA event in Korea

Ryu Hae-ran soared to the top of the leaderboard at the LPGA Tour event in her native Korea on Friday. Ryu fired a blistering round of eight-under 64 to seize the 36-hole lead at the BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul. Ryu, the highest-ranked player in the field this week at No. 3, has yet to make a bogey in this tournament. On Friday, Ryu recorded two eagles on the front nine and added four birdies on the back nine for her second consecutive bogey-free round. Ryu, who hit every green in regulation and missed just one fairway Friday, holds a two-shot lead over two players — Kim Min-sun of Korea and Lauren Coughlin of the United States — at 13-under 131. Ryu, 25, is from the nearby town of Yeongam. Her two LPGA wins this season have both come at major championships — first at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and then at the Amundi Evian Championship. Ryu is now trying to join world No. 1 Nelly Korda and second-ranked Jeeno Thitikul as the only players to notch at least three victories in 2026. Ryu eagled the first two...