Sei-young and Danielle ahead with identical 66
CHICAGO: South Korea’s Kim Seiyoung and American Danielle Kang each fired a five-under 66 to share the lead after the second round of the Women’s PGA Championship.
Sei-young and Kang, each seeking their first Major titles, both stood on seven-under 135 after 36 holes at Olympia Fields near Chicago on Friday.
One stroke adrift was a pack including England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff, American Brittany Lincicome and South Koreans Lee Mi-hyang, Chella Choi and Amy Yang.
Sei-young, runner-up in this event two years ago, has won 11 career titles, seven of them on the LPGA Tour, the most recent at the Lorena Ochoa Match Play in May. But none are the one she yearns for.
“I don’t have any win at the Major championship, not yet,” Sei-young said.
“Beginning of the year, setting my goals, I really wanted to win a Major championship.
“So I prepared a lot with my caddie and with my coaches. Yeah, it means a lot to me.”
She began on the back nine and birdied the par-4 13th and 14th and closed with another at 18. Her lone bogey of the day came on the par-4 third but she responded with birdies at the par-4 fifth, par-3 seventh and par-4 eighth.
“Fortunately when I teed off, a little less windy, so I was able to attack to the pin,” Sei-young said.
“So I made a lot of opportunities for the birdies. When I hit a tee shot a little into the wind, a little long distance, so I had to hit a lot of long irons.”
Kang, yet to make a bogey this week, opened with a birdie at the par-5 first, then added birdies at the par-3 fourth and par-4 eighth. After another at 12, Kang closed with another birdie that left her level for the lead.
“I kept my game plan and both (rounds are) bogey-free, so I’m pretty happy,” Kang said.
“And I kept sticking to the iron shots that I trusted all my life and giving myself opportunities.
Defending champion Brooke Henderson of Canada was two strokes off the pace on 137 along with Australia’s Sarah Jane Smith, South Korea’s Ryu So-yeon and Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn. – AFP