Shanshan takes halfway lead
China’s Feng Shanshan held off a trio of South Koreans on the course at the US Women’s Open on Friday but her performance was overshadowed by the grand entrance of US President Donald Trump to the golf club that bears his name.
Riding in a motorcade of more than a dozen black SUVs, the president rolled in to the 500acre Trump National, becoming the first sitting US head of state to attend the championship.
His arrival was met by applause and some cheers, and a roar rang through the grounds when Trump made his way into the specially-built, personal viewing box overlooking the 15th green and 16th tee.
The second-round leaderboard was anything but “America First”, however, with the top nine all internationals on the rainsoaked 6,732-yard Old Course.
Shanshan, the overnight leader on 66, was her steady self, following her first bogey of the tournament at the 10th with back-toback birdies for a 70 and an eightunder 136 total, good for a twoshot lead over a trio of South Koreans — Amy Yang (71), Lee Jeong-eun (69) and amateur Choi Hye-jin (69)
“On my front nine, the rain was really heavy,” said Olympic bronze medallist Shanshan, the world number six who has won seven LPGA events, including one major.
“But luckily my ball-striking was pretty good so I hit most of the balls on the greens. Overall, I did really well today.”
Amy, a perennial Women’s Open contender with top-four finishes in all but one of the last five editions, birdied her last for 71.
A pair of shocks were delivered by Jeong-eun, known as Jeongeun6 as the sixth player of her exact name to play on the Korean LPGA Tour (KLPGA), and 17year-old Hye-jin, the world number two ranked amateur.
The 21-year-old Jeong-eun, in her first visit to the US, carried on the sublime form that landed her 10 top-10s from 14 events on the KLPGA Tour.
“I’m nervous,” 40th-ranked Jeong-eun said through an interpreter, “because I’m not sure if I could finish well in the last two days.”
Teenager Hye-jin, a winner on the KLPGA this year, reeled off four successive birdies from the 18th, her ninth, and had a share of the lead before two late bogeys pulled her back.
“When I was first travelling over here, my goal was to make the cut,” she said through an interpreter. “So I’m already very happy with what I’m doing and I’m not going to feel any pressure.”