Lydia Ko in hunt at LPGA Singapore

SINGAPORE — Lydia Ko surged up a tight leaderboard with a five-under-par 67 in scorching Singapore to trail South Korea's Kim A-lim by one shot after the second round of the HSBC Women's World Championship.

New Zealander Ko goes into the weekend in second place having entered round two of the LPGA event in a share of seventh, three shots off the pace.

The Paris Olympic champion parred the first four holes before picking up two birdies on holes five and eight.

A pair of birdies on 12 and 13, followed by another gain on 16, saw her close her bogey-free round for a two-day total of six-under-par 138 at Sentosa Golf Club.

"The real key to me for playing well is hitting a lot of greens. I was able to do that a lot better today versus yesterday," said Ko.

"My game has been trending in the right direction, and it was good to see a few putts drop here and there." After the highs of 2024, where she won the gold medal in Paris and was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame, a relaxed Ko is seeking new challenges for the 2025 season.

"I'm definitely having more fun, and I feel like I'm in a position where I can try new things and not veer off what was good from last year," said Ko.

Kim maintained her position atop the congested leaderboard with a 69 and 137 total.

England's Charley Hull and Kim Hyo-joo are tied for third after posting rounds of 70 and 66, respectively.