The third member of the final group, tied with Piller at one under par, a stroke behind Ko, is Brittany Lincicome, a long hitter who’s won six times on tour, including major championships at the ANA Inspiration in 2009 and 2015.
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It would be just her fifth missed cut since the start of the 2013 season, not including any tournaments Park withdrew from early.
“I was one-under through four, and was feeling pretty good”, said Henderson.
While Henderson plays an adventurous game, Lee was coolly steady with her 2-under 69. Brooke Henderson, the first-round leader after a 67, was in the afternoon group.
Friday, she birdied No. 3 to stretch her lead to three strokes, but then bogeyed No. 4 and 5 to open the door for the rallying Lee, who matched Henderson at minus-2 most of the rest of the round.
The top 70 plus and ties will make the cut for the final two rounds, with the afternoon wave yet to tee off at hard Sahalee Country Club.
The 18-year-old Canadian took a two-shot advantage into the second round but, in tough conditions at Sahalee Country Club, posted a 73 to fall back to two under.
England’s Bronte Law won two more matches and Britain and Ireland took five of six points to open an 8-4 lead in the Curtis Cup at Dublin, leaving the Americans behind entering the closing singles session for the first time in two decades. Piller didn’t start playing golf until she was 15. “Really narrow … rough is tall … greens are fast”.
Scotland’s Catriona Matthew is within three shots of the lead going into the final round of the PGA Championship.
Seeking her third consecutive major title, Ko shot a 1-under 70 to reach 2 under.
She has hinted this week, however, that she may give someone else a chance to play if she isn’t healthy enough to compete. She now sits in a tie for 4th, just two-strokes back of the leader, Lydia Ko.
In this major you look up, and it’s 1 under, and at Sahalee this week, that has been very good. “It was a tough day and the conditions made it hard”.
“I was saying, ‘Man, the spectators must think I’m nuts, having a wedge in my hand, ‘” Ko said of chipping on the green.
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn, victor of her last three tournaments, was at 2 under for the tournament early in the second round before making three bogeys and a double bogey in a five-hole stretch. Lexi Thompson, the world No. 3, stood at plus-7 to barely make the cut.
Second-ranked Park In-bee qualified for the LPGA Hall of Fame by completing the first round.
Park has been dealing with inflammation in the tendons and ligaments around her left thumb.
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“If I come into the year saying, ‘Hey, I want to win two out of the five majors, ‘ that can be a little unrealistic”. “But when I’m out there I’m not thinking so much about records and what could happen”.
