Thai star ranked 97th fires back-to-back 67s
LYTHAMST. ANNES, England — Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand is standing out at the Women’s British Open for more than just her pink golf ball.
The 97th-ranked player has yet to drop a shot in consecutive rounds of 5-under 67 that will give her a one-stroke lead heading into the weekend at the year’s fourth major.
While first-round leader Minjee Lee and Mamiko Higa encountered problems down the stretch Friday at a rainy Royal Lytham to give up two-shot leads, Pornanong played a steady hand and put her pink ball in all the right places — explicitly, out of the many bunkers that define the course.
Pornanong, 28, missed a 10-foot putt for birdie in front of the clubhouse on the 18th green but that didn’t get her down. She was 10 under overall.
“I’ve had a game plan,” Pornanong said. “I try to plan every shot, every hole.”
It’s given her a great chance of winning a first major title, and claiming a first victory on the LPGA Tour. Her most recent win was on the Asian Tour in January 2015 and she has only one top10 finish all year. Pornanong’s only top 10 at a major was a tie for seventh at the U.S. Women’s Open in 2014.
She already has put some distance between many of the bignames in women’s golf.
Top-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn was seven shots back after rounds of 71 and 70, No. 6 Shanshan Feng (71-71) was one stroke further back, and No. 2 Inbee Park (76-74) missedthe cut.
Only six players were inside five shots of Pornanong. Theyhave pedigree, though.
In a three-way share of second place at 9 under is Lee, who was clear at 12 under before she double-bogeyed No. 16 and dropped another shot at No. 17 to post a 70.
Lee, an Australian at a career-high ranking of No. 8, was runner-up on the Gullane links in the Ladies Scottish Open last week.
Home favorite Georgia Hall (68) was in the tie for second place along with Higa, who was leading by two strokes on 11 under when she lost her ball in a gorse bush at No. 17 and wound up with a double-bogey-6.