Minjee Lee can reflect on past success to keep her focus from straying too far ahead.
A highly accomplished amateur in Australia, Lee picked up her first LPGA Tour win last May and went on to post seven top-10 finishes in her rookie season.
Through two rounds of the Lotte Championship, the 19-year-old positioned herself for a run at another title by staying in the moment.
A co-leader after the first round, Lee ended Thursday’s play at Ko Olina Golf Club alone atop the leaderboard after firing a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 to move to 10 under for the tournament with 36 holes remaining.
She’ll play in today’s final grouping with Katie Burnett, who also carded a 66 to get to 8 under, and Su-Yeon Jang of Korea.
“I’m just going to play my game and see what happens at the end of Saturday,” Lee said. “Just one shot at a time and how I have been playing.”
Lee highlighted her rookie season on the tour with a win at the Kingsmill Championship in Virginia in May and said, “I think it just kick-started my whole year.”
“I wasn’t expecting anything. I got through Q-school and I was like I’m ready to take on the tour,” Lee said. “Going into that week I had no expectations. I just played my game and came out with W.”
Lee ended the first round on Wednesday tied with Moriya Jutanugarn at 4 under and birdied five of six holes around the turn on Thursday to move ahead of the pack.
“I’ve been striking it pretty good yesterday and today. … It really does help in this wind,” said Lee, the who entered the week 17th in the world rankings.
“I holed a couple of nice putts and just got my momentum going on the front nine. I birdied 8 and 9, so I think the momentum carried on the back nine.”
Burnett, ranked 195th, channeled the disappointment of not playing in the ANA Inspiration — the season’s first major — into her preparation for this week’s event. Accustomed to playing in the wind in the coastal town of Brunswick, Ga., Burnett used the down time to hone a knockdown shot she’s relied on in Ko Olina’s breezes.
“It was motivating not to get into ANA … disappointing, but also motivating to be at home watching a tournament when I thought I should have been there,” Burnett said.
“So worked really hard on that knockdown and basically tried to come out here and be committed.”
Jang will join Lee and Burnett in today’s 12:05 p.m. tee time one week removed from a win in the Lotte Mart Championship in Korea.
The 21-year-old was given a sponsor’s exemption into the field and rolled in eight birdies to jump into the lead through Thursday’s morning rounds at 7 under. She came to Hawaii last month to get in some practice in advance of her second start in an LPGA Tour event and first in the U.S.
“Practicing a month ago helped me a lot because I knew it was windy in Hawaii,” Jang said through an interpreter. “So I’m definitely ready for this week.”
Defending champion Sei Young Kim continued her steady play with a second straight round of 69 to move to 6 under in conditions slightly less severe than Wednesday’s blustery opening round. She’ll open today’s round tied with Jutanugarn for fourth.
It wasn’t until after signing autographs and chatting with Lydia Ko that she paid attention to her place on the leaderboard.
“I didn’t see that,” Kim said, “because last couple tournaments, I too much check the leaderboards, so it’s not good for me.
“After that round I decide when I’m in the course I never see the scoreboard. That’s better.”
Ko, the world’s top-ranked player, will have to make a big move to contend for a third straight victory. Ko shot even-par 72 on Thursday and will enter today’s round at 1 under and tied for 26th. Punahou graduate Stephanie Kono is also part of the group of 13 bunched at 1 under after making the cut for the first time in three Lotte appearances.
Ko Olina was far more accommodating on Thursday after yielding just seven rounds in the 60s and 22 rounds under par in the first round. Meghan Khang’s 8-under 64 led 17 players in the 60s and 54 carded red-number rounds.
Khang was on the cut line at 2 over through 11 holes, then birdied six of the last seven to jump into a tie for seventh at 4 under.
“I saw the leaderboard and after No. 9 and it didn’t help that I went bogey-bogey,” Khang said. “That was in the past and I wasn’t going to let that affect me. I think just trying to think positive and again giving myself chances, because on this golf course you have to be able to give yourself chances.”
