Henderson in the chase with an ace at Brit Open
Canadian sits tied for eighth, but is five back of Phatlum at latest major tourney
Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand is standing out at the Women’s British Open for more than just her pink golf ball.
The 97th-ranked player has yet to drop a shot in two straight rounds of 5-under 67 that gives her a one-stroke lead at 10-under 134 heading into the weekend at the year’s fourth major.
Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., aced the par-3 ninth hole on her way to a 2-under 70, which put her in a six-way tie for eighth place at 5-under 139. Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont. had a 1-over 73 Friday and missed the cut, finishing at 3-over 147.
While first-round leader Minjee Lee and her nearest competitor Mamiko Higa encountered problems down the stretch Friday at a rainy Royal Lytham, Phatlum played a steady hand and put her pink ball in all the right places — specifically out of the many bunkers that define the course.
The 28-year-old Thai missed a 10-foot putt for birdie in front of the clubhouse on the 18th green, but that didn’t get her down.
“I’ve had a game plan,” Phatlum said. “I try to plan every shot, every hole.”
It’s given her a great chance of winning a first major title and claiming her first victory on the LPGA Tour. Her last win was on the Asian Tour in January 2015 and she has only one top-10 finish all year.
Phatlum’s only top 10 at a major was a tie for seventh at the U.S. Women’s Open in 2014.
She has already put some distance between many of the big names in women’s golf.
Top-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn was seven shots back after rounds of 71 and 70, No. 6 Shanshan Feng (71-71) was one stroke further back and No. 2 Inbee Park (76-74) missed the cut.
Only six players were inside five shots of Phatlum. They have pedigree, though.
In a three-way share of second place at 9 under is Lee, who was clear at 12 under before she double-bogeyed No. 16 and dropped another shot at No. 17 to post a 70. Lee, the Australian at a career-high ranking of No. 8, was runner-up on the Gullane links in the Ladies Scottish Open last week.
Home favourite Georgia Hall (68) was in the tie for second place along with Higa, who was leading by two strokes at 11 under when she lost her ball in a gorse bush at No. 17 and wound up with a doublebogey 6.
Third-ranked Sung-hyun Park, who won the Women’s PGA Championship, is lurking in sixth place at 7 under after rounds of 67 and 70. Seventh-ranked So-yeon Ryu, a two-time major champion, is at 6 under after two rounds of 69.
Justin Thomas overcame one mistake with five birdies on his back nine for a 6-under 64 and a share of the lead with English duo Tommy Fleetwood and Ian Poulter after the second round of the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.
Fleetwood had a 63, while Poulter backed up his career-best 62 in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event with a 67. They were at 11-under 129.