Jessica Korda yesterday took a two-stroke lead in the LPGA Malaysia, shooting a bogey-free six-under 65 in sweltering conditions.
Korda missed a birdie chance on the par-4 18th when her 6-foot shot slid by on the left side, leaving the 22-year-old American at 12-under 201 at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.
Fellow American Stacy Lewis and South Korea’s Jang Ha-na were tied for second.
“These last two days have been the hottest days I think I’ve ever played golf in,” Korda said. “You feel it, you really do. Luckily, there was not a lot of sun out there today, but the humidity was really, really high.”
Korda has only one top-10 finish this season, a tie for second in January in Florida in the season-opening event. The three-time LPGA Tour winner is 50th in the world rankings and 56th on the money list, barely enough to get a spot in the tournament.
“It’s been such a long time and I’m so happy,” Korda said. “I’m very pleased to be back on top of the leaderboard. I definitely wasn’t expecting all my hard work to be paying off this quickly, first week out in the Asia swing, but I’ll take it wherever I can.”
Third-ranked Lewis rebounded with rounds of 66 and 65 after opening with a 72.
Jang had a 71 after taking a one-stroke lead into the round. She had a double bogey on the par-three 15th, saved bogey with a 20-footer on the par-five 16th and rebounded with a birdie on the par-three 17th.
Taiwan’s Yani Tseng dropped from third in the second round to a share of seventh after a 71 left her on 205 overall. Compatriots Hsu Wei-ling (69, 210), Candie Kung (73, 210) and Min Lee (72, 218) were further adrift.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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