Cristie Kerr of the US birdied four of her last five holes to grab a commanding five-shot lead on Friday at the halfway mark of the LPGA Championship, the second women’s major of the season.
Kerr, who started the day with a share of the tournament lead, fired a bogey-free six-under 66 to stand 10-under with a 134 total.
She had some trouble finding the fairways on the narrow, tree-lined Locust Hill Country Club course, but scrambled her way out of trouble and used a hot putter to pad her lead.
PHOTO: AFP
“I hit very good recovery shots today,” Kerr, who hit just five fairways on the day, told reporters. “When I was in the rough, I got on the green and two-putted for par.”
Park In-bee of South Korea and Japan’s Mika Miyazato, who were both one shot off the pace after the opening round, were tied for second place at five-under 139 after posting 70s.
“Ten-under is amazing, but it is not out of reach at all,” Park, the 2008 US Women’s Open champion, said about Kerr’s score. “There’s still two days of golf. Anything can happen.”
Miyazato said that she had conquered some butterflies on Friday.
“Today was all about keeping my patience and keeping my game steady,” Miyazato said through an interpreter. “I am a little bit more nervous because it is a major, but I am able to concentrate on each shot, so I am very confident about that.”
Another shot away at 140 were Brittany Lincicome od the US (69) and Amy Yang of South Korea (67).
Taiwan’s Teresa Lu carded a 73 for a one-under total of 143, while Yani Tseng was three shots further back after a 71. Candie Kung’s 71 put the Taiwanese player on 147, while compatriot Amy Hung just made the cut after a 76 gave her a halfway total of 148.
Seventy-three players made the cut set at four-over 148.
Kerr, No. 5 in the world and the highest-ranked American, sank a birdie putt at the first hole and parred the next eight, despite failing to hit another fairway on the front nine.
The 32-year-old caught fire on the back nine, starting with a birdie at the 10th and following with birdies on 14 and 15, before closing with two more.
“Birdieing four of the last five holes was pretty unbelievable,” said Kerr, who took advantage of gentler morning conditions to set the daunting target. “I don’t think anyone expected anybody to get to double digits under-par today.”
Kerr has regained her feel on the greens after switching putters prior to winning the LPGA Tour event in Illinois two weeks ago.
“I’ve always been a good putter, but when I’ve found a putter that feels right, I can make almost anything I look at,” she said. “I found my heat-seeking missile.”
Kerr started the day in a three-way tie with late starters Lee Seon-hwa of South Korea and Stacy Lewis of the US, who both returned scores of two-over 74 for 142.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
The next generation of running talent takes center stage at today’s Berlin Marathon, in the absence of stars including Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian world record holder Tigist Assefa. With most of the major marathon stars skipping the event in the wake of the Paris Olympics just more than a month ago, the field is wide open in the men’s and women’s races. Since 2015, Kipchoge has won five times in Berlin, Kenenisa Bekele has won twice and Guye Adola once — with all three missing today. Kenyan Kibiwott Kandie and Ethiopian Tadese Takele are among the favourites for the men, while
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Taiwan’s Tony Wu yesterday beat Mackenzie McDonald of the US to win the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand, his first challenger victory since 2022. The 26-year-old world No. 315, who won both his qualifiers to advance to the main draw, has been on a hot streak this month, winning his past nine matches, including two that ensured Taiwan’s victory in their Davis Cup World Group I tie. Wu took just more than two hours to top world No. 172 McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to win his second challenger tournament since the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in 2022. Wu’s Tallahassee win followed two years of
RSS