Kapolei Golf Club shares few similarities to the courses Yuka Saso is accustomed to playing in Japan, and the 19-year-old admittedly is not all that comfortable playing in the winds that typically guard the West Oahu layout.

Through two record-setting rounds in her Lotte Championship debut, Saso has appeared perfectly at home in just her sixth LPGA Tour start.

Saso, who is from the Philippines and has two wins on the Japan LPGA, requested the sponsor’s exemption into the event and received her invitation prior to playing in the ANA Inspiration two weeks ago.

She’s converted the opportunity to compete into a surge into contention with back-to-back rounds of 8-under-par 64 to set the tournament’s 36-hole scoring record at 16 under 128, giving her a two-shot lead over Lydia Ko entering the third round today.

“I’m just thankful that I’m here,” Saso said after her round on Thursday. “(The) sponsor’s giving me a chance to be here. … So whatever the outcome is, I’ll just accept it and just enjoy the moment.”

Saso will tee off in today’s final pairing at 1:01 p.m. with Ko, a 15-time tour winner and two-time major champion, who charged into the lead with a round of 9-under 63 in the morning wave on Thursday to get to 14 under.

It appeared Ko’s score might be tough to catch heading into the afternoon, when the winds tend to kick up. But Saso, who has hit 33 greens in regulation through two rounds, played her first 10 holes at 6 under to catch Ko and took the solo lead by rolling in a 35-foot birdie putt from the back of the green on the par-3 16th hole. A 3-wood to the middle of the green on the 509-yard, par-5 17th hole set up her ninth birdie of the day.

A stress-free par on No. 18 finished off her record 36-hole total, breaking the mark set by Eun-Hee Ji with rounds of 65 and 64 in 2019.

“What comes comes, and I’ll just accept it,” Saso said. “Whether I get a birdie, a par, a bogey, I’m just trying to accept everything.”

“I’m happy but the tournament’s not over yet. There’s two more days, so let’s see.”

Saso said she’s looked up to Ko, who at 23 is chasing her 16th tour win and her first since 2018.

Ko arrived in Hawaii after closing the ANA Inspiration with a final-round 62 on April 4 to finish second in the season’s first major, two shots behind Patty Tavatanakit.

With her start at Kapolei, Ko has played her last 54 holes at 24 under with just one bogey in that stretch.

“I think especially around a golf course where there are some low scores you just have to focus on your game and do the best with what you have in front of you, Ko said. “Sometimes when you’re trying to chase down birdies and just like compete against everybody else it just makes it more complicated.”

Ko made the turn at 5 under, hit the flagstick out of the bunker on No. 1 to set up a birdie and stuck her approach on No. 2 within 2 feet of the cup for her fourth birdie in a five-hole stretch.

She hit 12 of 14 fairways with soaring drives and her short irons into the sixth and ninth greens set up two more birdie putts inside of 5 feet to send her into the clubhouse with a three-shot lead and one shot shy of the tournament’s 18- and 36-hole scoring records.

“I don’t think I had that many long shots coming into the greens. Obviously when it’s a golf course where you’re hitting a few more mid- to short irons in makes it a little bit more gettable,” Ko said.

“I felt like I hit it pretty solid over the last couple days, so it’s nice, especially with the wind, to not have as many longer putts. In the wind long game is one thing; also putting can be pretty difficult. I feel like (caddie) Dave (Jones) and I did a good job of being smart and also being aggressive at the times when we can go at it.”

Luna Sobron Galmes of Spain was on pace to match Ko before a bogey on her closing hole left her with a career-best 64 and at 11 under with Nelly Korda, who finished the day with a 68. So Yeon Ryu joined them at 11 under in the afternoon, as did Hyo Joo Kim, thanks to an eagle at No. 17 to highlight her round of 65.

Two-time defending champion Brooke Henderson shot a second straight 68 and enters today’s play tied for 16th, eight shots behind the leaders.