CATRIONA FOUR SHOTS OFF THE PACE IN LPGA MAJOR TOURNAMENT
FROM THE LPGA TOUR.COM WEBSITE
Morgan Pressel shot a 2-under 70 on Saturday to take the second-round lead at the Wegmans LPGA Championship at Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York
Pressel heads into the final day of play at 6-under par and leads Rolex Rankings No. 1 Inbee Park and first-round leader Chella Choi by two strokes. Due to heavy rain that postponed the start of the major championship until Friday, the final 36 holes of the Wegmans LPGA Championship are scheduled to be played on Sunday.
Scattered showers dampened an already rain-soaked Locust Hill golf course during Saturday’s second round. The showers began early in the morning and Pressel played through more rainy and wet conditions in the afternoon wave, but didn’t let the soggy settings keep her from a hot start. The Boca Raton, Fla. native started on No. 10 and recorded three birdies in her first six holes.
“I got off to a good start, had a birdie opportunity on 10, but didn't go in and then made one on 11,” said Pressel. “I started to hit my driver a little bit to the right, but made great par saves on 12 and 13, and then two great birdies on 14 and 15 to get me off to a really good and comfortable start.”
Pressel found herself in some trouble on the par 4 16th and 18th holes and dropped two shots before making the turn at 5-under-par. She said the wind picked up on her back nine holes and she had to combat some sloppier conditions on that side of the golf course.
“I hit a couple more drives to the right, which cost me bogeys, wasn't able to make quite as miraculous saves on those couple of holes,” said Pressel. “And then the back nine was pretty uneventful. There wasn't a whole lot that happened out there. I had some opportunities, made some. And then the wind picked up on our back nine a little bit and made it a little more difficult, and that side because of how it sits is quite a bit more wet, and so it was a little bit more sloppy on that side than it was on the front nine today.”
Pressel would close with her fourth and final birdie on the par 5 8th hole when she hit a 50-yard pitch shot to four feet and finished at 2-under for the day. Pressel holds the 36-hole lead for the first time since the 2008 Wegmans LPGA at Locust Hill, before the Rochester event was designated as a major.
Rolex Rankings No. 1 Inbee Park trails by two shots after an impressive 4-under 68 which tied Michelle Wie for the low round of the day. She’s tied for second with first-round leader Chella Choi at 4-under-par. Choi finished with a 1-over 73.
Park, who has won five times in the past year, certainly is within reach of adding yet another victory to that list. With 36 holes left to play on Sunday, the year’s second major is set for a marathon finish and Park has prepped herself for what will likely be the toughest challenge yet of the season.
“It feels like just one more round to go, but we have to play two rounds in one day,” Park said. “ I think that's what's going to be very tough mentally and physically. It's something that I really need to handle. And I need to get really good rest tonight. And try to be very relaxed and get a lot of sleep.”
One player who is well aware of what it takes to win a marathon finish is Jiyai Shin, who sits three shots back following her 1-over 73 on Saturday. Shin captured her second career major championship at last year’s RICOH Women’s British Open which included a 36-hole Sunday finish due to play being suspended for a day due to high winds.
Top-ranked American and Rolex Rankings No. 2 Stacy Lewis shot an even-par 72 on Saturday and is in a tie for 31st at 2-over par.
Catriona Matthew is four off the pace after a pair of 71s for 142.
SECOND-ROUND LEADERTBOARD
Par 144
138 Morgan Pressel 68 70.
140 Chella Choi 67 73, Inbee Park 72 68.
141 Jiyai Shin 68 73, Sarah-Jane Smith 72 69, Amy Yang 71 70
142 Brittany Lincicome 69 73, Angela Stanford 71 71, Na Yeon Choi 72 70, Catriona Matthew 71 71, Sun Young Yoo 73 69
SELECTED OTHER SCORES
144 Laura Davies 71 73 (T14)
147 Lydia Ko (amateur) 77 70 (T40)
150 Melissa Reid 76 75 (T70)
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
Morgan Pressel shot a 2-under 70 on Saturday to take the second-round lead at the Wegmans LPGA Championship at Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York
Pressel heads into the final day of play at 6-under par and leads Rolex Rankings No. 1 Inbee Park and first-round leader Chella Choi by two strokes. Due to heavy rain that postponed the start of the major championship until Friday, the final 36 holes of the Wegmans LPGA Championship are scheduled to be played on Sunday.
Scattered showers dampened an already rain-soaked Locust Hill golf course during Saturday’s second round. The showers began early in the morning and Pressel played through more rainy and wet conditions in the afternoon wave, but didn’t let the soggy settings keep her from a hot start. The Boca Raton, Fla. native started on No. 10 and recorded three birdies in her first six holes.
“I got off to a good start, had a birdie opportunity on 10, but didn't go in and then made one on 11,” said Pressel. “I started to hit my driver a little bit to the right, but made great par saves on 12 and 13, and then two great birdies on 14 and 15 to get me off to a really good and comfortable start.”
Pressel found herself in some trouble on the par 4 16th and 18th holes and dropped two shots before making the turn at 5-under-par. She said the wind picked up on her back nine holes and she had to combat some sloppier conditions on that side of the golf course.
“I hit a couple more drives to the right, which cost me bogeys, wasn't able to make quite as miraculous saves on those couple of holes,” said Pressel. “And then the back nine was pretty uneventful. There wasn't a whole lot that happened out there. I had some opportunities, made some. And then the wind picked up on our back nine a little bit and made it a little more difficult, and that side because of how it sits is quite a bit more wet, and so it was a little bit more sloppy on that side than it was on the front nine today.”
Pressel would close with her fourth and final birdie on the par 5 8th hole when she hit a 50-yard pitch shot to four feet and finished at 2-under for the day. Pressel holds the 36-hole lead for the first time since the 2008 Wegmans LPGA at Locust Hill, before the Rochester event was designated as a major.
Rolex Rankings No. 1 Inbee Park trails by two shots after an impressive 4-under 68 which tied Michelle Wie for the low round of the day. She’s tied for second with first-round leader Chella Choi at 4-under-par. Choi finished with a 1-over 73.
Park, who has won five times in the past year, certainly is within reach of adding yet another victory to that list. With 36 holes left to play on Sunday, the year’s second major is set for a marathon finish and Park has prepped herself for what will likely be the toughest challenge yet of the season.
“It feels like just one more round to go, but we have to play two rounds in one day,” Park said. “ I think that's what's going to be very tough mentally and physically. It's something that I really need to handle. And I need to get really good rest tonight. And try to be very relaxed and get a lot of sleep.”
One player who is well aware of what it takes to win a marathon finish is Jiyai Shin, who sits three shots back following her 1-over 73 on Saturday. Shin captured her second career major championship at last year’s RICOH Women’s British Open which included a 36-hole Sunday finish due to play being suspended for a day due to high winds.
Top-ranked American and Rolex Rankings No. 2 Stacy Lewis shot an even-par 72 on Saturday and is in a tie for 31st at 2-over par.
Catriona Matthew is four off the pace after a pair of 71s for 142.
SECOND-ROUND LEADERTBOARD
Par 144
138 Morgan Pressel 68 70.
140 Chella Choi 67 73, Inbee Park 72 68.
141 Jiyai Shin 68 73, Sarah-Jane Smith 72 69, Amy Yang 71 70
142 Brittany Lincicome 69 73, Angela Stanford 71 71, Na Yeon Choi 72 70, Catriona Matthew 71 71, Sun Young Yoo 73 69
SELECTED OTHER SCORES
144 Laura Davies 71 73 (T14)
147 Lydia Ko (amateur) 77 70 (T40)
150 Melissa Reid 76 75 (T70)
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
Labels: LPGA TOUR
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