South Korean Lee up 1 at Women’s British
Mirim Lee followed her opening 10-under 62 with a 71 in the Women’s British Open, leaving her a stroke ahead entering the weekend at tree-lined Woburn Golf Club in England.
A day after matching the tournament record and falling a stroke short of the major championship mark, Lee, 25, of South Korea, had three birdies and two bogeys to reach 11-under 133.
Lee had two front-nine birdies, bogeyed the par-4 13th, birdied the par-5 15th and bogeyed the par-3 17th on the Marquess Course, a hilly, forest layout that is a big change from the seaside links that dominate the tournament rotation.
“Today, the tee shot was a little bit difficult,” Lee said. “I had issues with my tee shot. I think I putted OK. I had a couple of three-putts, but I think with some practice, I can overcome my mistakes.”
Three weeks ago at the U.S. Women’s Open, Lee opened with a 64, then followed with rounds of 74, 76 and 73 to tie for 11th. This two-time LPGA Tour winner missed the cut in the ANA Inspiration to start the major year, and tied for fourth in the KPMG Women’s PGA.
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn and China’s Shanshan Feng were tied for second. Jutanugarn had a 69, and Feng had a 68. Jutanugarn won three consecutive events in May.
South Korea’s Ha Na Jang (67) and 46-year-old Scot Catriona Matthew (65) were 9 under. Mo Martin (68) was 8 under, and fellow American Stacy Lewis (70) followed at 7 under. Martin won the 2014 tournament at Royal Birkdale.
Other tournament
Canadian Women’s Amateur: South Korea’s Hye-jin Choi won in New Minas, Nova Scotia, closing with a 4-under 66 for a four-stroke victory. Choi, 16, finished at 9-under 271 at Ken-Wo Golf Club. She earned exemptions into the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and the LPGA Tour’s two Canadian stops — the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and Manulife LPGA Classic.
“I’m just going to play golf,” said Choi, the world junior girls champion and low amateur in the U.S. Women’s Open. “I’m not going to worry about others and just play the way I can.”
Andrea Lee (66) of Hermosa Beach, Calif., tied for second with Allisen Corpuz (70) of Honolulu, and Hannah Green (70) of Australia. Third-round leader Maria Fassi (72) of Mexico was fifth at 4 under. Naomi Ko was the low Canadian, tying for seventh.