CARLY AND CATRIONA SEVEN AND EIGHT SHOTS OFF PACE
ANNA NORDQVIST MAINTAINS
ONE-SHOT LEAD IN THAILAND
FROM THE LPGA TOUR WEBSITE
Sweden's Anna Nordqvist shot even-par 72 in the second round to maintain her one-shot lead at the Honda LPGA Thailand at Siam Country Club, Chonburi.
The 26-year old sits atop the leaderboard at 6-under par 138 and leads a trio of players - fellow Europeans Azahara Munoz (Spain) and Germany's Sandra Gal as well as Julieta Granada.
Nordqvist said tricky hole locations kept things interesting on the greens. The Swede was pleased overall with her round which included three birdies and three bogeys.
“There were some tough pins out there,” said Nordqvist. “A lot of them were on ridges, and I felt like I hit a lot of good shots and kept spinning off the ridges. Not much you can do. Felt like I hit it solid. A little disappointed to finish with a bogey on the last. Overall been hitting it great this week. Today I felt like all things were good. Just couldn't get any putts to drop.”
Nordqvist is looking for her first win since the 2009 LPGA Tour Championship in her rookie year.
The Arizona State University graduate says she feels comfortable with the lead heading into the weekend and loves to see her off-season training pay off.
“This is a position I been practising to be in,” said Nordqvist. “Halfway through and there are 36 more holes, but I'm happy with the way I'm playing. Hopefully can make a couple more putts over the weekend and that should take care of it.”
Many players have been happy to get a break from the normal severe heat they get in Thailand. The Tour is used to facing temperatures in the 90s with high humidity and little overcast. Clouds and temperatures in the 70s in the first two rounds
“I think we all expected it to be warmer,” said Nordqvist. “Today with a little bit of rain and overcast it felt like I still had a lot of the energy leaving the 18th green.”
Light showers in the morning left the greens even softer than usual and kept any extra roll off the fairways. World No 3 Stacy Lewis (71-69) shot 2-under and sits in a tie for third at 4-under par with fellow American Michelle Wie (67-73). Lewis said the soft course conditions have made the course play differently than years past.
“Just had the rain to start and just changed the way the golf course played,” said Lewis.
“Kind of took me a couple holes to adjust to that. Once I did I hit some good shots. You just had to be a lot more aggressive, fly back to holes we normally can't do that. Just played completely different than it ever has.
“There were a lot of back pins today, so it was hard to get the ball to stay up on those back shelves and get yourself to fly them all the way back there.”
Munoz and Granada shot the low rounds of the day, both finishing with 4-under 68s.
All three players who are in a tie for second are playing for their second LPGA Tour titles. Munoz (2012 Sybase Championship), Gal (2011 Kia Classic) and Granada (2006 LPGA Playoffs at The ADT) all have one win each and have put themselves in good position to become members of the mutli-win club this week in Pattaya.
World No 1 Inbee Park shot her second-consecutive 71 and sits in a tie for 11th. No. 2 Suzann Pettersen (69-73) and No. 4 Lydia Ko (72-70) are alongside Park at 2-under par and four shots off the lead.
SCOTSWATCH: Carly Booth has scored 72-74 for 146 and a share of 29th place while Catriona Matthew improved from a 76 to a 71 for a share of 33rd place on 147.
Booth looked set to repeat her first round par score until she bogeyed the 14th and 16th. Earlier the Comrie player had bogeyed the sixth and eighth but birdied the seventh and 11th.
Matthew's bag of birdies at the long first, the long 10th, 11th and short 12th, off set only by a bogey at the fifth, was devalued by her finish - two over par for the last six holes with bogeys at the short 16th and par-4 17th in halves of 36-35.
SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 144 (2x72)
138 Anna Nordqvist (Sweden) 66 72
139 Julieta Granada (Paraguay) 71 68, Azahara Munoz (Spain) 71 68, Sandra Gal (Germany) 69 70.
140 Stacy Lewis (USA) 71 69, Michelle Wie (France) 67 73
SELECTED TOTALS
141 Karrie Webb (Australia) 71 70 (T7)
142 Lydia Ko (NZ) 72 70, Caroline Hedwall (Sweden) 69 73, Suzann Pettersen (Norway) 69 73
146 Carly Booth (Scotland) 72 74 (T29)
147 Catriona Matthew (Scotland) 76 71 (T33)
149 Jodi Ewart Shadoff (England) 74 75 (T45)
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
ONE-SHOT LEAD IN THAILAND
FROM THE LPGA TOUR WEBSITE
Sweden's Anna Nordqvist shot even-par 72 in the second round to maintain her one-shot lead at the Honda LPGA Thailand at Siam Country Club, Chonburi.
The 26-year old sits atop the leaderboard at 6-under par 138 and leads a trio of players - fellow Europeans Azahara Munoz (Spain) and Germany's Sandra Gal as well as Julieta Granada.
Nordqvist said tricky hole locations kept things interesting on the greens. The Swede was pleased overall with her round which included three birdies and three bogeys.
“There were some tough pins out there,” said Nordqvist. “A lot of them were on ridges, and I felt like I hit a lot of good shots and kept spinning off the ridges. Not much you can do. Felt like I hit it solid. A little disappointed to finish with a bogey on the last. Overall been hitting it great this week. Today I felt like all things were good. Just couldn't get any putts to drop.”
Nordqvist is looking for her first win since the 2009 LPGA Tour Championship in her rookie year.
The Arizona State University graduate says she feels comfortable with the lead heading into the weekend and loves to see her off-season training pay off.
“This is a position I been practising to be in,” said Nordqvist. “Halfway through and there are 36 more holes, but I'm happy with the way I'm playing. Hopefully can make a couple more putts over the weekend and that should take care of it.”
Many players have been happy to get a break from the normal severe heat they get in Thailand. The Tour is used to facing temperatures in the 90s with high humidity and little overcast. Clouds and temperatures in the 70s in the first two rounds
“I think we all expected it to be warmer,” said Nordqvist. “Today with a little bit of rain and overcast it felt like I still had a lot of the energy leaving the 18th green.”
Light showers in the morning left the greens even softer than usual and kept any extra roll off the fairways. World No 3 Stacy Lewis (71-69) shot 2-under and sits in a tie for third at 4-under par with fellow American Michelle Wie (67-73). Lewis said the soft course conditions have made the course play differently than years past.
“Just had the rain to start and just changed the way the golf course played,” said Lewis.
“Kind of took me a couple holes to adjust to that. Once I did I hit some good shots. You just had to be a lot more aggressive, fly back to holes we normally can't do that. Just played completely different than it ever has.
“There were a lot of back pins today, so it was hard to get the ball to stay up on those back shelves and get yourself to fly them all the way back there.”
Munoz and Granada shot the low rounds of the day, both finishing with 4-under 68s.
All three players who are in a tie for second are playing for their second LPGA Tour titles. Munoz (2012 Sybase Championship), Gal (2011 Kia Classic) and Granada (2006 LPGA Playoffs at The ADT) all have one win each and have put themselves in good position to become members of the mutli-win club this week in Pattaya.
World No 1 Inbee Park shot her second-consecutive 71 and sits in a tie for 11th. No. 2 Suzann Pettersen (69-73) and No. 4 Lydia Ko (72-70) are alongside Park at 2-under par and four shots off the lead.
SCOTSWATCH: Carly Booth has scored 72-74 for 146 and a share of 29th place while Catriona Matthew improved from a 76 to a 71 for a share of 33rd place on 147.
Booth looked set to repeat her first round par score until she bogeyed the 14th and 16th. Earlier the Comrie player had bogeyed the sixth and eighth but birdied the seventh and 11th.
Matthew's bag of birdies at the long first, the long 10th, 11th and short 12th, off set only by a bogey at the fifth, was devalued by her finish - two over par for the last six holes with bogeys at the short 16th and par-4 17th in halves of 36-35.
SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 144 (2x72)
138 Anna Nordqvist (Sweden) 66 72
139 Julieta Granada (Paraguay) 71 68, Azahara Munoz (Spain) 71 68, Sandra Gal (Germany) 69 70.
140 Stacy Lewis (USA) 71 69, Michelle Wie (France) 67 73
SELECTED TOTALS
141 Karrie Webb (Australia) 71 70 (T7)
142 Lydia Ko (NZ) 72 70, Caroline Hedwall (Sweden) 69 73, Suzann Pettersen (Norway) 69 73
146 Carly Booth (Scotland) 72 74 (T29)
147 Catriona Matthew (Scotland) 76 71 (T33)
149 Jodi Ewart Shadoff (England) 74 75 (T45)
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
Labels: LPGA TOUR
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