GOLD CANYON, Ariz. — South Korea’s Jenny Shin hit a five-game birding streak to close her first nine on her way to a 5-under 67 on Friday and shared the lead with Canada’s Maddie Szeryk and Moriya Thailand’s Jutanugarn after two rounds of the LPGA Drive on Championship.
Jutanugarn moved up the standings, after opening 67 with a bogey-free 7-under 65 that included an eagle and five birdies. Szeryk, of London, Ont., re-enacted a round that included an eagle and six birdies, including one on his final hole, while Shin used seven birdies to offset two bogeys to reach 12-under 132 at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club. in the LPGA’s first open field event of the year.
American Lilia Vu shot a 6 under and was one shot off the lead, while South Korea’s Na Rin An (67) and American Alison Lee (69) tied for fifth at 10 under .
3-ranked Jin Young Ko, a winner two weeks ago in Singapore, scored 65 in the second round and was among eight players tied for seventh at 9 under the crowded leaderboard.
Maude-Aimée Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., is tied for 65th at less than 3.
The event marks the start of the tour’s new discount policy. The cut line after 36 holes includes the top 65 players and ties advance to the weekend. Previously, the top 70 players and ties qualified for the final rounds.
The cut line fell to 3 under, with 76 players advancing. Two of the big names absent from the cup included three-time major winner Anna Nordqvist of Sweden and two-time major champion Brook Henderson of Canada, both 1 under.
Shin, looking for his first win since 2016, overcame a slow bogey-birdie-by-bogey start in round two, then birdie ripped on numbers 14-18, his first nine, to get to 11 under. She went bogey-free on her back nine and birdied the par-4 third hole to go 12 under.
Shin said she was caught off guard by an unexpected swirling wind at the start of her round and didn’t immediately complete her birdie streak.
“The bogey on the first hole didn’t help,” the 30-year-old said. “I was like, ‘Oh, no. Here we go again.’ I stayed calm. I try not to get in my head too much. … So I didn’t know I was doing five in a row until I checked the scorecard. So that’s good thing i didn’t know.
Szeryk, 26, in his second year on tour after a rookie campaign that included five cuts in 14 events in 2022, sees being tied for the lead after 36 holes — and everything after — as a learning experience.
“It’s so amazing to be back in this position because I love being here and I’m so thankful to God to have another opportunity to be here and really compete with the best players.” she declared. “But I’m just on such a high.
“I’m really excited for what the weekend has in store for us. … But it was great to see those putts go in and make those birdies on the stretch.
The highlight of Jutanugarn’s round was her eagle at No. 7, where she landed a good shot that ended on the way to the carts. After a drop, she got a favorable rebound on her second shot which landed on the back of the green, and she made the putt for an eagle 3.
“The next two days I’m just trying to go out and have fun and do what I have to do, which is in my control,” said the 2013 Rookie of the Year and two-time tour winner. “I think, of course, it’s more fun when you feel like you’re in the running.”
Second-ranked Nelly Korda, the highest-ranked player in the field with No. 1 Lydia Ko not competing, followed an opening 70 with a 66 and was among those tied for 15th at 8 under.
Also at 8 under was Yuka Saso, but her road to a tie for 15th was highlighted by her first albatross, when she made a 2 on the 492-yard, par-5 second hole.
Saso used a 217-yard hybrid ort on his second shot and knew the approach was in line with the pin.
“I mean, we didn’t really know where it landed and where it ended, so we were just walking to the green and everyone started cheering,” she said. “But my ball wasn’t on the green, so I thought, why are they clapping? Is it over? Why is everyone clapping if it’s not on the green?
It turns out that his playmate, Sei Young Kim, looked down the hole and let him know he was in it.
“It was one of my dreams to get one, but we all know how hard it is to get one,” Saso said. “They say you’re lucky if you get one in your golf career. I guess I was very lucky to have him.
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