Defending champion Amy Yang yesterday finished with a one-shot lead after day two of the Honda LPGA in Thailand.
The South Korean spent the day jockeying for the top of the leaderboard with first-round frontrunner Lexi Thompson of the US, who dropped down to second during round two at the Siam Country Club in Chonburi.
While her rivals dropped shots on the inward nine, Yang finished in front posting three-under-par 69 for the day and totaling nine-under-par 135.
“I mean, I struggled a little bit on the front, two bogeys straight, but I think I stayed patient well, got through it well,” Yang said, according to an LPGA statement. “Leading by one shot is not much, and two more rounds is still a lot of golf.”
After a strong start on day one, Thompson fell behind yesterday as the greens firmed up, ending the round with a total of eight-under-par 136 alongside fellow American Jessica Korda and South Korean starlet Q Baek.
Korda’s low round of the day, matched by Haru Nomura of Japan, was capped by a 12-foot eagle putt on her last hole.
China’s Lin Xi-yu hit a hole-in-one on the 186-yard, par-three 16th, and earned herself a Honda Accord.
“I saw my ball land on the slope, and I saw it start coming back, and I thought, hmm, it’s going to be close to the pin, and I hear my caddie saying, ‘Let’s just get in the hole,’” Lin said. “I’m like, ‘no way.’ Then when I picked the tee up and walked to the back, and I really just couldn’t believe it.”
Taiwan’s Hsu Wei-ling carded a two-under 71 to tie for 16th place, while Kaohsiung-born Candie Kung shot a one-under 71. Yani Tseng struggled at the back of the pack at eight-over-par 80.
If Yang retains her title tomorrow, she will be the event’s second back-to-back winner in the Honda LPGA’s 10-year history.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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