Green seizes early lead at Women’s PGA Championship

Australian Hannah Green pitched in from 60 yards to save par early in her second round en route to a three-shot lead at the Women’s PGA Championship on Friday in Chaska, Minn.

Green’s unlikely save on her third hole, the par-four 12th, came after she had hit her second shot into a hazard she barely knew existed at Hazeltine National.

“I actually didn’t even notice the hazard yesterday,” the 22-yearold from Perth said after carding 3-under-par 69.

At 7-under 137, Green set a cracking pace at the major championship with Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn her nearest competitor at 4 under.

New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and South Korea’s Sung Hyun Park, the defending champion, were tied for third at 3 under.

Canada’s Brooke Henderson, of Smiths Falls, Ont., was in danger of missing the cut, but made it onto the projected cutline at 5 over with a 1-over round of 73.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton was the top Canadian. She shot a 70 to sit at 3 over for the tournament, while Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee missed the cut at 12 over.

Green was delighted to get the rub of the green in a game that so often seems to throw up bad breaks.

After her second shot on the 12th hole ended in a hazard, she took a one-stroke penalty and assessed the options for her third shot.

“It was still quite a tough pitch shot,” she said.

“I said to my caddy, ‘I need to get it close as possible.’

“I had to land it perfectly and I guess I did. I knew it was going to be close, but I didn’t think it had the chance of going in.

“When it went in, I just laughed, because with the hole-out on seven yesterday and with the holeout today, it’s really going my way.”