Yu-Ju Chen Charges Up with an Impressive 66

(November 1, 2019; New Taipei City) The world′s elite lady golfers took full advantage of favorable weather conditions today in the second round of the US$2.2 million Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA, as the round turned out to be a birdie-fest. Overnight co-leader Mi Jung Hur of Korea carded another 6-under 66 to lead defending Champion Nelly Korda of the U.S. by one shot.

In-Kyung Kim of Korea used a birdie on the final hole to finish with a 65 to tie for third with Australian Korean Minjee Lee at 134. Rolex Rankings No. 6 Brooke M. Henderson of Canada was on fire today as she not only made six birdies, but also hit her second shot into the wind with a three-wood to put the ball five feet from the pin on the par-5 12, where she converted one of three eagles on the scoreboard today. Henderson closed with a field-leading 64 to tie for fifth with Su Oh of Australia.

10-year LPGA veteran Mi Jung Hur amassed two wins over her first nine years on the tour, but has already added another two wins this season including the Scottish Open, both in the company of her loving husband. Hur started off the second round tied with Korda, but she caught fire right off the gate to reel off five birdies in the first six holes to pull ahead. Hur cooled down a bit after misfiring a short iron on eight to make her only bogey of the round. However, Hur remained unflappable down the stretch in spite of ferocious charges mounted by competitors, as she added two more birdies on the back nine to post a back-to-back 66.

Hur, who hoped that her husband′s presence could bring her good luck again this week in Taiwan, is known for hitting low-trajectory shots. "I hit shots pretty low. I practiced a lot of lower shots, like a punch shot during The Scottish Open, and even this week," said the Korean veteran.

On the other hand, Korda was able to stay patient as her playing partner Hur got off to a blazing start. The 2018 winner of this tournament not only went bogey-free, but also picked up five birdies, including two consecutive birdies on the final two holes to finish the half-way mark only one shot behind Hur. "Feels like forever since I′ve had a round like that but definitely feels good, especially in the wind today," said the 21-year-old American.

Yu-Ju Chen of Chinese Taipei, who set a record as the first non-Korean player to win a Dream Tour (a developmental tour for the KLPGA Tour) event this April, was cruising along during her first 17 holes today, where she made seven birdies to move up the leaderboard. Her only blemish came on her final hole (9th hole of Miramar Golf & Country Club), where she overshot her bunker shot to take a bogey. Nonetheless, Chen finished with an impressive 66 to tie for 12th at 139.

Chen, who is vying to secure her Korean KLPGA Tour card later this month, said the wind was not as strong today, making the course play a bit shorter. "I feel great with my putter today," said Chen. As a junior golfer, Chen used to train at Miramar with the support of the Swinging Skirts Golf Foundation, organizer of this tournament. As a result, she is very familiar with this golf course. "I feel more confident after coming back to Taiwan from Korea this week," said Chen.

Chinese Taipei amateur Yu-Sang Hou followed up her 70 in round one with a 71 today, and sits tied for 18th with seven players including 2014 champion Inbee Park of Korea at an aggregate total of 141. Hou is also the top-performing amateur in the field so far.

Chinese Taipei LPGA player Wei-Ling Hus made three birdies today to close with a solid 69 to tie for 26th at 142, despite missing five makeable birdie putts on her back nine. Even though Hsu was unable to go low on her score, she was able to avenge herself for the double-bogey she took on 15 in round one. "I hit the ball into water to take a double yesterday. Today I had a chip-in birdie from 36 feet," said Hsu.

Third round of the 2019 Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA, which rounds up all four majors winners this year, is set to start tomorrow at the Miramar Golf Country Club with no cuts. Mi Jung Hur, Nelly Korda and In-Kyung Kim will tee off from the 1st hole at 10:40 am. Yu-Ju Chen is set to tee off from the first hole at 10:07 with Jessica Korda and Angel Yin of the U.S. Meanwhile, Yu-Sang Hou and Wei-Ling Hsu will start their round at 9:23 and 9:01 from the 1st hole, respectively.

In order to encourage more fans to come to the golf course weekend, organizers have painstakingly planned an assortment of interactive events, including Nearest Pin Challenge, fun putting games on the practice green, as well as a lucky draw on Sunday featuring prizes ranging from Gogoro electric scooters to iPhone 11 Pro.

Tickets for the 2019 Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA can be purchased via ibon or at http://www.sslpgataiwan.com/pages/tickets Admission tickets for each of the final two rounds start from NT$500. Formosa TV will provide live coverage tomorrow from noon till 4 pm. For more information, please visit: http://www.sslpgataiwan.com/