Kim leads Park by one in New York

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Sei Young Kim leads by one at the halfway stage of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, while World No 1 Lydia Ko missed the cut.

The 22-year-old from Seoul, already a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour this year, made three birdies and an eagle on the way to a flawless, five-under-par 68.

That took her total to eight under par after 36 holes of the year’s second women’s major, being held at Westchester Country Club.

“It’s very great. Today I played very well, bogey-free,” said Kim. “A couple to go, a little struggling with my putting, but today working well. Again, played very well.”

Lying just one shot off Kim’s lead are World No 2 Inbee Park, who shot a 68, and Australian Karrie Webb, who birdied the last on the way to a 71.

Starting from the 10th, Park made three birdies in her first six holes before interrupting a run of eight straight pars with back-to-back birdies at seven and eight.

“Yesterday I played kind of conservative. It’s a major championship and there’s not going to be many birdies,” she said. “I ended up making a few mistakes yesterday, and looking at the scoring yesterday and this morning, the scoring was still good. So I thought I should play a little more aggressive and play for more birdies and seemed like it worked.”

Suzann Pettersen had the day’s best round, a bogey-free, seven-birdie 66 to finish on six under, two back, alongside Canadian teenager Brooke Henderson.

Overnight leader Jenny Shin and third-ranked Stacy Lewis were three shots behind the leader, while Lexi Thompson, Cristie Kerr, and British teenager Charley Hull are four strokes back.

Top-ranked Ko, meanwhile, shot a disappointing 76 and won’t be around for the weekend – ending a run of 53 consecutive made cuts.

With Park already breathing down her neck in the world rankings and currently going strong, Ko could end up losing her World No 1 spot come Sunday.

Michelle Wie, struggling with ankle and hip injuries, birdied the 18th for a 72 to make the cut.

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