Ko keeping it simple
Lydia Ko is in contention for her first win on the LPGA Tour since last April.
The Kiwi golfer fired a second-round five-under-par 67 to be tied for fourth during day two of the Founders Cup tournament in Phoenix, Arizona, yesterday.
It was Ko’s second successive 67 and saw her just two shots off the lead in Arizona with the second round yet to be completed.
‘‘[I] actually hit the ball really well, especially in my back nine. So I set up a lot of good birdie opportunities, and down the stretch I hit a few not-so-nice lip-outs. Hopefully I’m saving it up for the weekend,’’ Ko said.
The former world No 1 has had just one top-10 finish on the LPGA Tour so far this year but believes changes she has made to her game with coach Ted Oh are coming into effect.
Oh wants to simplify her game, something she said was coming to fru- ition after her opening round in Phoenix.
Ko began her second round on the back nine and made birdies on her fourth and sixth holes, before her only bogey of the day – on the par-three 17th – put her back to six-under.
However, the 21-year-old made four birdies in five holes at the start of her inward nine to climb the leaderboard.
‘‘It’s nice to be in the weekend here for this week,’’ Ko said.
‘‘I missed the last two days last year. Nice to have some good rounds under my belt.
‘‘Obviously the golf course is known to have some low scores.
‘‘You just have to go out there, try to play your game, and maybe play a little bit more aggressive than any other golf course.’’
Meanwhile, Kiwi Danny Lee barely made the cut in the latest PGA Tour event, the Valspar Championship in Florida.
The 28-year-old is one-over the card through two rounds at the Copperhead Course, leaving him in a share of 49th, seven shots behind co-leaders Paul Casey and Austin Cook.
Fellow Kiwi Ryan Fox was tied for 55th midway through his latest European Tour tournament in Malaysia.
Fox has had rounds of 71 and 73 for an even par tally of 144 in the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur, to leave him eight shots behind leader Thomas Pieters, of Belgium.