South Korea’s Lee Bo-mee shot an eight-under 64 yesterday to take a four-stroke lead after two rounds of the Mizuno Classic.
Lee, a regular on the Korean tour, recorded four birdies on the front nine at Kintetsu Kashikojima Country Club and added four more after the turn to finish at 10-under 134.
Second-placed Rikako Morita of Japan, who briefly held the lead after an eagle on the par-five 13th, bogeyed three of the final five holes for a 68.
Photo: AFP
“My drives were good today, I was able to keep them on the fairway which was tough with this wind,” Lee said.
“If I can keep driving and putting like this I feel good about my chances tomorrow,” she added.
Morita hit a 195-yard second shot to 10 feet and then made the eagle put on 13, but could not keep the momentum going when she bogeyed the par-four 14th.
“I hooked my iron on 14 and couldn’t recover,” Morita said. “The bogeys caused me to fall back a few strokes but hopefully I can make them back tomorrow.”
Angela Stanford of the US shot a 71 and was tied for third at four-under 140 with South Korea’s Choi Na-yeon, France’s Karine Icher and overnight co-leader Ayako Uehara of Japan.
South Korea’s Jiyai Shin, who shared the first-round lead, shot a 73 and was tied for eighth with a group of eight golfers that included defending champion Momoko Ueda of Japan, who shot a 69, the US’ Stacy Lewis and Taiwanese star Yani Tseng, who both shot 70.
South Korea’s Inbee Park, who opened the LPGA Tour’s Asian swing with a victory in Malaysia and finished second last week in Taiwan, struggled with the wind and shot a 73 to be tied for 23rd.
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