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KOREAN Choi Na Yeon danced to the tune of Gangnam Style when she again dominated at her favourite course with a four-under 67 to keep her lead in the Sime Darby LPGA at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club yesterday.
The defending champion had a 10-under 132 total, to lead by two strokes under a burning sun, but the heavens opened up moments after she signed in her card.
"Gangnam Style is the most famous Korean product now, but I am not good at it, and have tried it only in private," said the World No 4.
Second is Sydnee Michaels from the United States, who is two strokes adrift after a six-under 65 for a eight-under 134 total.
Bunched third on seven-under 135 are Suzann Pettersen of Norway, Lizette Salas of United States, Momoko Ueda and Mika Miyazato of Japan.
"I simply love Malaysia and this golf course as I know it well, but still, the back nine is quite difficult to tame and that is why I had bogies on the 11th and 17th.
"To win the tournament, I need to be more careful on the 17th, which I think is the trickiest for me. There are many players out there who can do six and seven-unders per-day and with two more rounds, nobody knows what is going to happen," said Choi.
She left her parents back home this time, but has her weight trainer and English tutor for company.
"My English is not that good, so I watch many American TV series and also have my personal tutor who came with me to Malaysia. I did weight training Monday and Tuesday, and feel simply great now," exclaimed the charming Korean.
As for joint-third Suzann, the birdies sang more often for her today than in her opening par-round.
"Seven birdies and a bogey free round as compare to my par on Thursday was simply amazing. I had a lot of easy birdies (first, eighth, 10th, 14th, 15th, 18th, 18th) which pulled me up from tied-39th to tied-third.
"So I can't complain about this solid round," said Suzann.
A hole-in-one was hit by Lizette on the par-three 15th, which saved her three straight bogies on the 10th, 11th, and 12th. She moved up from joint-eighth to be in contention going into the third round today.
"I had a 130 to Number 15, and hit a good swing and it just rolled in. It erased two bogies to move me up," said Lizette.
World No 1 Yani Tseng played one-over 72, but her disastrous opening 78 has placed her joint 61st on eight-over 150.
AMATEUR Aretha Pan upstaged the Malaysian pros, with an identical two-over 73 for a 146 two-round total at the Sime Darby LPGA yesterday.
The pint-sized golfer also had a 73 in the first round and is now tied 53rd, and did not look too happy with being the best Malaysian on the leaderboard.
Professional Jean Chua is the second best Malaysian on joint-58th as she had a second round of two-over 73 for a 148 total.
Ainil Johani is tied-66th, after she blew up with nine-over 80, for an 11-over 153 total.
Sixteen-year-old, Sarafina Vinota is at the bottom of the pool after she had a disastrous 13-over 83 for a 165 two-day total.
"I just kept hitting it into the rough, and that made a lot of bogies. Even though I am the best placed Malaysian, I don't feel happy at all with my game," said Aretha.
However, it was different with a smiling Jean, who almost crashed the front nine but recovered the return and also her mood.
"I started from the 10th, and there was a roll-in so I had to wait for more than 10 minutes for the referee, and that disrupted my focus for the next five holes.
"I was so angry, and had to hurry my game as the others were pulling away, and that is why I hit a bogey on the 11th and a double bogey on the 12th.
"But the back nine saved my day and I am like, so relieved now," said the ever smiling Jean.
She placed the pressure on her commitment to Sime Darby and also the local fans.
"Sime Darby were sponsoring me RM180,000 and then upped another RM120,000 for me to play golf, and I owe them so much. That keeps popping up in my mind and I think I have been trying too hard 'terlalu mencuba' and that is why I could not concentrate on my game.
"I have a pyschologist, but then, it is not easy for me to blank out the supportive crowd, and also the fact that I am a Sime Darby ambassador.
"Everything else, my shots, chips and putting is fine, only my mental state is still holding me back from doing well at home," said the US based player who is competing in her third Sime Darby LPGA.
SYDNEE Michaels (pic) of the United States did not have a good first round in the Sime Darby LPGA, so she decided to go on a shopping spree after chucking her golf bag, and it made a huge difference as she returned with a six-under 65 yesterday for a total of 134.
After a two-under 69 in the first round, she needed a boost and shopping was the perfect tonic.
"I did not have a good first round, and so I went on a shopping spree at a local store near my hotel. The staff looked shocked as I picked up so many clothes, but it was nice and I had a good time.
"Being my first trip to South East Asia, I have only met nice people and even though the heat here is really, really hot, I'm enjoying every moment," said the American.
She placed herself in good stead, as she is only two-shots adrift of the leader Choi Na Yeon of South Korea.
"I am still not home yet because golf is an unpredictable sport and one hole could spoil everything, and there are still two rounds to go.
"I can't control what the others are doing, but surely, I will try and play my game and see what happens in the end," said Sydnee.
It was an amazing feat from the American, as she is ranked 147th, while 49 out of the top-50 are also at the KLGCC.
She turned pro in 2010, and finished fourth on the Symetra Tour’s J Golf Race for the Card money list to earn Priority List Category nine for the 2012 LPGA season.
Last year, she notched two victories on the Symetra Tour at the Vidalia Championship and Price Chopper Tour Championship.
"Looking foward to my first this seson, and hope my putter remains hot," said Sydnee.
