Ina Yoon Puts Women’s PGA Field on Notice

Ina Yoon has turned the Women’s PGA Championship into a weekend pressure cooker at Hazeltine National Golf Club.

After torching the course with an opening-round 63, Yoon followed it Friday with a composed 3-under 69 to reach 12-under through 36 holes.

MORE: Scottie Scheffler Nearly Makes Travelers HistoryNelly Korda Sends Early KPMG Women’s PGA Warning

That gives the 23-year-old South Korean a five-shot lead heading into the weekend as she chases her first LPGA Tour victory — and she’s doing it on one of golf’s biggest stages.

Now comes the hard part.

Yoon didn’t have the same fireworks she showed Thursday, but she didn’t need them. She kept control of the tournament, survived a bumpier back nine that included two bogeys and a birdie, and still walked off with a lead large enough to make everyone else uncomfortable.

She also knows what’s waiting. Major championship weekends don’t hand out trophies early, especially when players like Nasa Hataoka, Brooke Henderson, A Lim Kim and Hae Ran Ryu are sitting five shots back at 7-under.

Ryu made the loudest move Friday, ripping off a 64 for the best round of the day.

Henderson, the 2016 Women’s PGA champion, closed with three straight birdies for a 68 and suddenly has a little juice going into Saturday. Hataoka posted a 67, while Kim stayed in the hunt with a 70.

And then there’s Nelly Korda.

The LPGA’s biggest star didn’t explode up the board, but she did enough to matter. Korda shot 68 and moved to 6-under, tied for sixth with Dongeun Lee.

She’s still six back, but with two rounds left and wind expected to make Hazeltine tougher, she’s not out of this thing.

Korda had four birdies on her first nine holes before cooling off late with six straight pars. Her driver also started acting up, with a left miss creeping into play after a U.S. Women’s Open setup that demanded a totally different ball flight.

That’s golf being golf. Just when a player finds one answer, the game changes the question.

South Korean players are all over this leaderboard, with Yoon, Kim, Ryu and Lee giving the country four of the top seven spots after two rounds.

MORE: Nelly Korda Sends Early KPMG Women’s PGA Warning

Still, everyone is chasing Yoon. She’s halfway home, five clear, and standing between the field and a weekend comeback story.

Now we find out whether she can close the door.

Join Our Roundtable Community For Free!

Share your takes, connect with our Roundtable writers, and talk sports with fellow fans. Download the free Roundtable App today and stay closer to the conversation.