|
Chevron Championship second round standings |
|---|
|
-8 JH Im (Kor), A Thitikul (Tha); -7 N Korda (USA) -6 HR Ryu (Kor); -5 S Bang (Kor), W Zhang (Chn), M Stark (Swe) L Coughlin (US), M Katsu (Jpn). |
|
Selected others: -4 J Ewart Shadoff (Eng), L Woad (Eng); -2 G Dryburgh (Sco); -1 S Meadow (NI), G Hall (Eng); +1 C Hull (English); +4 L Maguire (Ire) |
|
Complete ranking |
Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul and South Korea’s Im Jin Hee have a one-shot lead halfway through the Chevron Championship, the first women’s major of the season.
The pair lead American world number one Nelly Korda, who is bidding to win her fifth tournament in a row and her second major title.
Korda had the Texas clubhouse lead at seven under after a round of 69.
But later, Thitikul and I both shot 67 seconds for a total of eight under.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Lottie Woad lead the English challenge at four under.
Korda, who started the day two shots behind leader Lauren Coughlin, had a terrible start with a double bogey on her opening hole.
But she quickly recovered with birdies at the second and fourth, and although she dropped another shot at the seventh, four more birdies kept her in contention.
The 25-year-old is trying to become the first woman since Annika Sorenstam (2004-2005) to win five straight, and only the third in LPGA Tour history, joining Nancy Lopez (1978).
“Sometimes when you start making mistakes you just don’t really feel confident or feel very good,” she said.
“But I told myself that today is the first hole of the tournament. Even though I may have made a double, I wanted to save a bogey. There is still so much golf to be played and there is still a lot to be won. par- 5’s, that’s what I usually think about, just the opportunities I have ahead of me.”
Thitkul, 21, a two-time LPGA winner playing in her first tournament of the year after a thumb injury, finished strong with a birdie at the 18th, while rookie Im, who had four wins on last year’s Korean tour, led the field at completing her round.
There were emotional scenes on the final hole as two-time major winner Ryu So-yeon of South Korea said her final farewell to the tour after missing the cut.
“I’m very numb right now. I just can’t believe this is real. No one pushed me to retire. That was my decision. Still, I just can’t believe this is real,” the 33-year-old said.
