Joo Takes Lead After Windy Second Round at ShopRite LPGA powered by Wakefern
By Emilie Meyer and Jeremy Friedman
GALLOWAY, N.J. – A breezy day in Galloway helped Soo Bin Joo propel to the top of the leaderboard with a four-stroke lead at 8-under par heading into Sunday’s final round at the ShopRite LPGA powered by Wakefern.
Trailing by four heading into Sunday are a group of players that includes a past champion at the ShopRite LPGA in Celine Boutier, LPGA Tour winners and twins Chizzy and Aki Iwai, 2025 Dow Championship winner Somi Lee and round two leader Laetitia Beck.
Joo’s momentum began after an early setback, rebounding from a bogey on the opening hole to close out her round with two straight birdies for a three-under par 68. When comparing her game plan from Thursday and Friday, her preparations were completely different.
“It was super tough today because the wind was crazy,” said Joo. “But I kind of figured it out. I’ve learned a lot from today’s game so I’m really proud of myself.
The 22-year-old is heading into Championship Sunday ready to achieve her dream.
“Winning an LPGA Tournament is a dream come true,” Joo said. “I started playing golf because I want to win a tournament on the LPGA, so it will be super fun, very exciting…but right now I want to get a hot shower.”
The blustery winds were the story of the day on Saturday, with sustained winds from 8-16 miles per hour throughout the day with gusts up to 30.
That did not deter the Iwai sisters – Chizzy and Aki – from also moving up the leaderboard with matching 3-under par 68s to stand tied for 2nd place, four shots back from Joo. Chizzy’s round was headlined by an eagle on 9 and had 24 putts, the fewest of anyone in the field.
For Boutier, who held the championship trophy in 2023 at Seaview, resorted to her familiarity with the course in battling the elements to remain in the hunt.
“I thought it was definitely a challenging round, but I have to stay patient and not play too aggressive,” said Boutier. “Especially with the pins that were a little bit on the edges, you have to kind of golf for the middle a lot of the times.
“I always remember that it gets windy,” Boutier continued. I mean, I always remember that it gets windy. I just don’t remember it being this windy before. I feel like it’s always a little here, maybe five to ten, fifteen miles. But, yeah, today was definitely a bit more extreme.”
Sunday’s final round tees off at 6:55 am ET with the Soo Bin Joo and Aki Iwai the final twosome going off at 1 p.m. ET. The leaders are vying for a $300,000 first place check from an overall $2 million purse.
