France’s Karine Icher fired a six-under 66 to take a two shot lead after the second round of the LPGA Corning Classic on Friday.
South Korea’s Han Hee-won shot a five-under 67 and is two shots back in second.
Icher and South Korean Park Hee-young shared the first round lead. Icher moved to a 14-under 130 two-round total heading into the weekend. That surpassed the 36-hole record for the event by one shot and tied the best consecutive rounds in tournament history.
PHOTO: AFP
“I’m proud,” Icher said. “It’s nice to get the record for two low rounds. I’m trying to get in the present and don’t be in the future, and I have two more rounds to play and we’ll see, but I’m going to try to stay to the game.”
Grouped at 10-under are South Korea’s Lee Seon-hwa (67), Kang Soo-yun (69), Choi Na-yeon (68), Sweden’s Mikaela Parmlid (67), Germany’s Sandra Gal (69) and Sarah Kemp (68).
Taiwan’s Yani Tseng shot a 70 on Friday to sit tied for 26th on six-under 138. Compatriot Amy Hung shot a 71 to be a further shot back on five-under 139, while Teresa Lu shot a 70 for three-under 141. Candie Kung missed the cut after a 74 left her on five-over.
Icher said she is pleased to see the Europeans doing so well of late on the LPGA Tour.
“It’s more like a European golf course, so I’m not surprised that all the Europeans love to play this course and score low, because in Europe we have a lot of these kind of courses, tricky and you have to work on the ball,” Icher said.
“So I don’t know, maybe it’s good memories for us, but it’s good to get the European in front of the leaderboard. It’s a change from a [South] Korean,” she said.
One South Korean who has struggled at the Corning Classic is Kim Ju-yun, who is in second to last after shooting a six-over 78.
Kim, who goes by the English nickname Birdie, made one double-bogey and six bogeys.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
■PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
AFP, WENTWORTH, ENGLAND
Englishman Paul Casey led the field at the midway point of the BMW PGA Championship on Friday, but the final two rounds will be played without a host of top-notch players.
Casey, 31, moved from two behind to two in front with a second-round 67 at the European Tour’s flagship event.
Missing out on the cut for the final two rounds, however, will be Masters champion Angel Cabrera, who crashed out on five-over after a 75.
Players Championship winner Henrik Stenson and South African Retief Goosen managed only one better than that.
Last year’s runner-up Oliver Wilson hit only a seven-over aggregate, while Lee Westwood had a second successive 77 for 10-over — his worst 36-hole score in Europe for six years.
Joint second behind Casey are holder Miguel Angel Jimenez, England’s David Horsey and Anthony Wall, Scotsman Marc Warren and Dane Soren Kjeldsen.
■BYRON NELSON
AFP, DALLAS, TEXAS
South Africa’s Rory Sabbatini fired a six-under 64 to seize a share of the second-round lead at the PGA’s Byron Nelson Championship on Friday.
Sabbatini is the co-leader with John Mallinger of the US (65) at eight-under 132, but they have company as there are 13 players within three strokes.
Sabbatini is seeking his first win since the 2007 Colonial. His round included four straight birdies giving him the a season-best score.
Australian first-round co-leader James Nitties shot a two-under 68. Nitties is at seven-under in a group that also includes Dustin Johnson (65), Brian Davis (65), Briny Baird (64) and James Driscoll.
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