Kim, who triumphed at the IOA Golf Classic last month, lodged a colourful scorecard with five birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey in her one-under second round of 71 to sit in third position at five-under, four shots behind leader Pavarisa Yoktuan of Thailand.

The 21-year-old is in sixth position on the ‘Race to the Card’ standings where the top-10 at season’s end earn an LPGA Tour card and is poised to rise further in those rankings with a strong finish this weekend.

“It’s definitely a big momentum moving forward, being able to have your name in contention with all the players in Epson,” Kim told the Tour’s website. “It’s really nice to be able to have yourself compete with the top end of the field.”

Carding a three-under bogey-free front nine, it was the back nine where Kim found things a little trickier on Friday. Two more birdies at 14 and 15 came in between two par-3 bogeys and a six at the par-4 10th hole.