South Korea’s Jang Eunsoo continued her remarkable resurgence by snatching the outright lead after the second round of the Hana Financial Group Championship with a blemish-free three-under-par 69 at The Heaven Country Club on Friday.
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Jang, who is chasing her second KLPGA win this week after ending a 10-year drought with her breakthrough last month, marked her card with three birdies on holes one, seven and 11 to compile a two-day total of four-under-par 140 for a one-shot lead over compatriots Hong Jinyoung (70), Kim Minsun (70) and Hwang Youmin (71).
“Although the course was difficult, I was able to save par well in critical situations and didn’t miss my birdie opportunities, allowing me to finish with a good score,” said Jang.
Jang’s latest performance comes only a month after she ended a decade-long wait for her breakthrough KLPGA Tour victory, making her rapid rise up the leaderboard at one of the tour’s biggest events.
The Korean believes her confidence is now being reflected in her results, describing 2026 as the best season of her career.
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“This is the best season of my career, so overall, I’m in good shape,” said Jang. “There were many times when my golf wasn’t going well, but now my good performance is reflected in my actual results, so I’m thinking positively.”
Despite holding the advantage, Jang expects the challenge to intensify over the weekend, with more difficult pin positions likely to place an even greater premium on course management.
“I expect the pin positions to become even harder this weekend, so I need to play as steadily as possible,” she said. “When the opportunity crisis comes, I want to think about where the best spots are for the next shot and attack the course.”
Japan’s Chizzy Iwai and Aki Iwai spearheaded the international challenge after returning with matching 70s to head into the weekend rounds in tied-sixth and tied-ninth place respectively. The sisters became the first twin sisters in LPGA history to each record a victory last year.
World No. 12 Lydia Ko will not feature in the weekend rounds after carding rounds of 80 and 72 to miss the cut, which was set at six-over par. Australia’s Minjee Lee also made her early exit after signing for a 151 total.
