Kupcho a stroke off Women’s PGA lead
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Sei Young Kim birdied five of the final six holes as darkness fell Friday at Aronimink for a 5-under 65 and the second-round lead in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
The 27-year-old South Korean closed with a 6-under 29 on the front nine. She dropped early strokes on Nos. 11 and 12 and made her lone first-nine birdie on the par-5 16th.
Kim had a 4-under 136 total at rugged 6,437-yard Aronimink. She tied Karrie Webb (2001) and Sarah Kemp (2011) for the lowest nine-hole score in the Women’s PGA Championship.
A 10-time LPGA Tour winner, Kim is looking for her first major victory. She was runner-up at the 2015 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and tied for second at the Evian Championship in 2018.
The last four winners of the tournament either led or co-led after 36 holes.
Jennifer Kupcho (65), Danielle Kang (69), Carlota Ciganda (69) and Anna Nordqvist (68) were a stroke back.
Kupcho was second last weekend in the Shoprite LPGA Classic and said a run at the championship left her exhausted.
The 23-year-old Kupcho hit all 18 greens in regulation.
Kupcho -- winner of the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur -- has yet to transfer the success of her celebrated collegiate career over to the LPGA Tour. She was the No. 1 ranked amateur at Wake Forest and won the 2018 NCAA Division I Golf Championship. At majors, she failed to make the cut four times, including at the last two Women’s British Opens.
At Aronimink, Kupcho went back to what worked for her in college. She decided to use the Ping i210 irons she played with as an amateur after a talk with her parents.
Kupcho, who also brought on a new caddie in Kyle Alexander, played each nine at Aronimink only once leading into the tournament and found the unfamiliarity with the sloped greens may have worked to her advantage.
“Going into last week, I was not prepared, like I felt completely unprepared,” she said. “I felt the same way coming into this week. I didn’t feel like I was ready to come play this type of a golf course. I think not being prepared brings another challenge for me, and I think that’s what helps me play well.”
Cantlay in a familiar place, atop Vegas leaderboard
LAS VEGAS — Patrick Cantlay has played the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open so well that he wasn’t the least bit concerned when he was stuck in neutral Friday. Four straight birdies later, he was right up at the top again.
Cantlay ran off four straight birdies at the midway point of his round and got up-and-down from a bunker on the par-5 ninth to cap off a 6-under 65 and share the early 36-hole lead in Las Vegas.
Martin Laird hit his second shot into 4 feet for eagle on his closing hole at the ninth for a 63. They were at 14-under 128 going into a weekend with a forecast of dry, warm weather and plenty of birdies.
U.S. Open champion Bryson Dechambeau, who opened with a 62 for the 18hole lead, played in the afternoon.
Cantlay was this tournament for his first PGA Tour title in 2017.