Ko ties Thompson for Indy lead
Kung one behind pacesetting pair, Moriya six adrift after second round at Brickyard Crossing
>> INDIANAPOLIS: Former world No.1 Lydia Ko fired an eight-under-par 64 to take a share of the lead after the second round of the LPGA Tour’s Indy Women in Tech Championship on Friday.
Ko, of New Zealand, vaulted into a tie with American Lexi Thompson who was also at 15-under 129 with one round remaining in the tournament at the Brickyard Crossing course in Indianapolis.
The 20-year-old Ko, who is seeking her first win in over a year, birdied five consecutive holes in one stretch. She had nine birdies and one bogey in her round.
“I’ve enjoyed being in this position and being able to hit some good shots and give myself good looks at birdies,” said Ko.
“When you start doing that, it builds your confidence and you’re not dwelling on, ‘Hey, am I going to hit a good shot or a bad shot.’ I think that’s kind of the mindset that I’ve kind of gotten into the last few months.’’
Thompson closed out the front nine with three birdies on the final four holes then adding birdies at Nos.13 and 14 to tie Ko. But Thompson’s birdie putt at No.16 missed just to the left of the hole and she wound up scrambling for par on the final two holes when her approaches went through the greens.
“Actually, I didn’t hit one bad golf shot today,” Thompson said. “I feel great about it, I’ll never complain about a six-under round.”
Taiwan’s Candie Kung was alone in third after shooting a 64. Three strokes behind Kung was Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa, who stood at 11 under after shooting a 66 in the second round.
Cristie Kerr and Amy Olson were another stroke back at 10 under.
Moriya Jutanugarn shot a two-under 70 and was in a group of six that included Canada’s Brooke Henderson at nine-under 135. The Thai world No.33 was two shots behind overnight leader Thompson after the first round.
Ko started her round on No.10. She had consecutive birdies on holes No.2 through No.6 on her back nine.
Ko began 2017 with four top-10 finishes in seven events. However, she has not finished higher than 10th in an event since then, and she missed the cut in two of her last three tournaments.
Thompson shot a six-under 66 in the second round and had to scramble to save par on her final two holes to grab a share of the lead in this threeround event.
Kung was well within striking distance, just a stroke behind the leaders after a round that featured nine birdies and one bogey.