Candie Kung birdied four of her final six holes on Friday to match the course record with an eight-under 64 and take the second-round lead in the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.
The 34-year-old Kaohsiung native had an 11-under 133 total at Vancouver Golf Club. Playing the back nine first, she birdied the first two holes and eagled the par-five 13th. She added birdies on the fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth to tie the course record set by Nancy Scranton in her 1991 Du Maurier Classic victory, which was also matched by Chella Choi in 2012.
“I just went out there, played one shot at a time, and I knew that I was putting pretty good,” Kung said. “I missed a few out there from about 10 feet. I was hitting them pretty close all day, and then made some key putts coming in.”
Photo: AP
Kung has four LPGA Tour victories, winning three times in 2003 and once in 2008.
“I’ve been working pretty hard lately,” Kung said. “I guess it was a slump that I had back [in] 2010, 2011, I just got caught up in life a little bit. Now I feel like I can get back into it again, play some golf, have some fun.”
“I have not looked at the leaderboard,” Kung said. “I really don’t care who is behind me... I’m hitting it good, I’m putting it good, and let’s see what happens.”
Taiwan’s Min Lee and Hsu Wei-ling tied for 32nd on one-under-par 143 totals, while Yani Tseng carded a second-round 71 to tie for 41st on an even-par 144 total.
Two-time champion Lydia Ko and first-round leader Karine Icher of France were tied for second.
Ko, 18, birdied the final hole for a 68.
“I got maybe in trouble a couple of times, but was able to recover well,” Ko said. “I didn’t really have that many really tough positions. It’s good to finish well.”
Ko won in 2012 at Vancouver Golf Club at 15 years, 4 months to become the LPGA Tour’s youngest winner and fifth amateur champion. She successfully defended her title in 2013 as an amateur in Edmonton, Alberta. She has two victories this year.
Icher followed her opening 65 with a 70.
“It’s tough greens,” Icher said. “They are super hilly. You have to choose the right club. With the wind it was more difficult today to find the right club. It’s still a good day.”
China’s Xi Yulin was fourth at eight-under after a 66. She aced the seventh, using a six-iron on the 151-yard hole.
“It’s my first hole-in-one in a tournament,” Lin said. “I had one in [a] practice round before, but it was only me, like nobody really see it. So, this time, lots of people saw it.”
Top-ranked Inbee Park, the Women’s British Open winner in her last start, was tied for eighth at four-under after a 69. She has a tour-high four victories this season.
Canadian teen Brooke Henderson, coming off a victory on Sunday last week in the Portland Classic, had a 75 to drop into a tie for 58th at one-over.
“If I just go and focus on my ball-striking and a little bit of pace putting tomorrow, I think good things will happen,” said Henderson, the first Canadian to win on the tour since Lorie Kane in 2001. “It wasn’t a great day out there, but I ground it out pretty well.”
Michelle Wie missed the cut with rounds of 74 and 75. Struggling with a left ankle injury, she was playing her first tournament since withdrawing during the second round of the Women’s British Open after slipping walking off a tee box.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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