After 36 holes of the 2018 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, there is a three-way tie atop the leaderboards that dot the grounds at Kemper Lakes Golf Club, with So Yeon Ryu, Sung Hyu Park, and Brooke Henderson all sitting at 6-under 138.

Park, the overnight leader, carded two early birdies to reach 8 under through 10 holes, but the Korean star struggled with accuracy and lost both shots down the stretch to sign for an even-par 72.

Starting the day one back of Park, the 20-year old Henderson traded five birdies with four bogeys to dip into the red by a stroke at 71.

“It was kind of up-and-down all day,” said Henderson. “I would have liked to have shot a little bit better today, but 1-under when it was so hot and so windy, I’ll take it.”

Celebrating her 28th birthday, Ryu offset two early birdies (Nos. 3 and 5) with two bogeys (Nos. 6 and 10) but closed with three birdies on Nos. 14, 15, and 17 to sign for her second-straight 69.

Ryu cited her first win of the season earlier this month at the Meijer LPGA Classic for a renewed sense of confidence.

“It’s better to think about winning the tournament, better to keep telling yourself how confident you are,” Ryu said after her round.

“I just really enjoyed every moment with my little golf ball out there. I think after I won the Meijer Classic, that’s the attitude I have to have for this year.”

One back of the lead trio was Carlota Ciganda who matched Ryu’s 69 to sit solo-four at 5-under par.

A low-round 66 rocketed Lydia Ko 51 spots up the leaderboard, from T66 to T5, at 4-under par, alongside Annie Park (69) and Moriya Jutanugarn (72).

Jessica Korda made a pair of double bogeys en route to a 75, tumbling down the leaderboard to T12 at 2 under par. Also at 2 under, among others, was Danielle Kang who had reached 4-under par after a bogey-free 15 holes which included five birdies. But Kang closed with two bogeys on her final three holes to post a 69.

The cut line fell at 3-over par, sending home several notables including Inbee Park (+5), In Gee Chun (+5), Anna Nordqvist (+7) and Juli Inkster (+12).

South African Lee-Anne Pace was disqualified due to a rules infraction related to playing a club that had been damaged.

THE TOP 10

1. So Yeon Ryu -6 (69-69)
1. Brooke M. Henderson -6 (67-71)
1. Sung Hyun Park -6 (66-72)
4. Carlota Ciganda -5 (70-69)
5. Lydia Ko -4 (74-66)
5. Annie Park -4 (71-69)
5. Moriya Jutanugarn -4 (68-72)
8. Wichanee Meechai -3 (71-70)
8. Dani Holmqvist -3 (70-71)
8. Nasa Hataoka -3 (69-72)
8. Jaye Marie Green -3 (67-74)

NOTABLES

12. Danielle Kang -2 (73-69)
21. Cristie Kerr -1 (75-68)
36. Michelle Wie +1 (71-74)
36. Ariya Jutanugarn +1 (72-73)
36. Lexi Thompson +1 (72-73)
36. I.K. Kim +1 (73-70)
36. Minjee Lee +1 (69-76)
54. Stacy Lewis +2 (70-76)
54. Karrie Webb +2 (70-76)
54. Brittany Lincicome +2 (71-75)
54. Paul Creamer +2 (72-74)
54. Shanshan Feng +2 (74-72)
64. Pernilla Lindberg +3 (71-76)
64. Nelly Korda +3 (74-73)
MC. Inbee Park +5 (73-76)
MC. Anna Nordqvist +7 (77-74)

WORLD TOP 10

1. Inbee Park (+5, MC)
2. Ariya Jutanugarn (+1, T36)
3. Lexi Thompson (+1, T36)
4. Shanshan Feng (+2, T54)
5. So Yeon Ryu (-6, T1)
6. Sung Hyun Park (-6, T1)
7. Hi Jim Choi (Not Playing)
8. I.K. Kim (+1, T36)
9. Minjee Lee (+1, T36)
10. Moriya Jutanugarn (-4, T5)

VIDEO: ROUND-2 HIGHLIGHTS

QUOTABLE

“I mean, it’s a lot of fun. To see the crowds there today and see my name at the top of the leaderboard, that’s really fun and that’s really exciting. I was maybe a little bit of nerves today with some of those bogeys, but coming back with birdies, I think that’s just kind of momentum and confidence, and I’m continuing to do that every single week, which is a lot of fun, and I’m just excited for the next couple years.”
– Brooke Henderson