Another favorite is 19-year-old Lydia Ko, who has spent the past 33 weeks atop the rankings and has collected two major titles during that time.
Advertisement
Only three players were under par, but 13 were within three shots of the lead.
Here’s a look at the top of the leaderboard with 36 holes in the bag. Piller didn’t start playing golf until she was 15.
Jutanugarn finished at 15-under 273 at Travis Pointe after starting the day with a one-shot edge thanks to a closing eagle in the third-round. He had a hand in convincing Jutanugarn to eschew an erratic driver – she doesn’t even have it in the bag this week, and didn’t during her recent victory at the LPGA Volvik Championship – for the effective 230-yard line drives she can hit with her 18-degree driving iron. No one won two in a row at a younger age than her. If she’s a victor on Sunday, no one will have won three LPGA majors – even if there are five now – in successive fashion sooner than she will have.
Sahalee Country Club conditions haven’t been conducive to scoring through two rounds at the Women’s PGA Championship, but a select few players reside in red numbers following solid showings Friday. “She’s peaking at the right time”. She has 10 runner-up finishes during the drought and 23 overall.
“Last year, I had chance to win a few tournaments, but I didn’t know how to play with pressure”, she said.
“I’m happy with my position”, Ko said.
Jessica Korda (72) and Canada’s Brooke Henderson (68) tied for third at 9 under.
The last hurdle was to complete the equivalent of 10 seasons, and Park did so by getting the first round under her belt at the KPMGA Women’s PGA Championship.
The former world No. 1 struggled with back and finger injuries in 2015. The top-ranked Ko a 70 to tie for 16th at 4 under. “And once I got on the LPGA Tour, the Hall of Fame became an ultimate goal, just naturally”. “It was really frustrating and disanointing that I couldn’t get the right swing to work”.
Wyckoff’s Morgan Hoffmann shot a 5-over 75. She missed a short birdie putt at No. 17 and pulled her second shot from the fairway on the 18th and missed a 20-footer for par.
It was part of a 4-under opening 67 which has her two in front of the field nearing the end of the day’s play. “I started off with a 6-under round, so I was hoping to do the same thing”. “It’s handsome to watch”. As soon as we figured out it was the vehicle hole, she mentioned it again.
And the Canadian teenager closed with birdies at Nos. “She took the ball from the cup, gave it a kiss, and then walked off the green with a grin and a wave”.
Advertisement
Not that Ko will be bothered, as she put in a determined display, holing birdies on holes five and six, to head to the back nine in a good position.
