Late birdies give Kelly a huge lift in Hawaii
PETALING JAYA: Three birdies on the last four holes helped Malaysian pro Kelly Tan to survive the half-way cut at the US$2mil (RM8.27mil) Lotte Championship in Hawaii.
Kelly finished her second round of play with a fine three-under 69 at the Kapolei Golf Club in Hawaii to sit in joint 60th.
The top-ranked Malaysian, who is in line to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in July, opened her campaign with an even-par effort on Wednesday.
The cut for the tournament was at three-under.
Sponsor invite Yuka Saso of the Philippines fired a second consecutive eight-under 64 to take the sole 36-hole lead.
The Filipino is two shots clear of former world No. 1 Lydia Ko of New Zealand, who had a sensational nine-under 63 in the second round.
“I gave myself lots of good birdie chances especially in the second round,” said Kelly.
“It was nice to see the putts drop especially in the back nine knowing that I have to get to three-under to make the cut.
“It is a great feeling to pull that off knowing what’s on the line and it is a great confidence boost for me going into the weekend,” she added.
It is her second cut in three starts so far in the 2021 season. Kelly tied for 63rd spot in the US$3.1mil (RM12.8mil) ANA Inspiration earlier this month.