Three-time champion Jin Younger Ko has birdied six of her final 9 holes for an eight-under 63 and a two-stroke lead within the LPGA Tour’s Founders Cup.
Attempting to win the occasion on a fourth venue, Ko had a 12-under 130 complete at Bradenton Nation Membership after her second straight bogey-free spherical on Friday.
“Golf is tough, so if lose focus, could make bogey or double,” Ko stated.
The 29-year-old South Korean participant received the event that honours the tour’s founders in 2019 at Desert Ridge in Phoenix, 2021 at Mountain Ridge in New Jersey and 2023 in a playoff at Higher Montclair, additionally in New Jersey.
Yealimi Noh had a 64 to match fellow American American Angel Yin, who shot her second straight bogey-free 66, and Japan’s Minami Katsu (65) and South Korea’s Jin Hee Im (66) at 10 below. American Lauren Coughlin was one other stroke again after a 67.
One other within the combine is 2019 Girls’s PGA Championship winner Hannah Inexperienced.
The West Australian improved on her opening 70 by capturing a superb six-under 65 to claw her method again into rivalry.
Inexperienced’s spherical included back-to-back birdies on Nos.12 and 13 and the sixteenth and seventeenth, discovering eight of 14 fairways and hitting 16 out of 18 greens in regulation.
She is tied seventh 5 behind Ko, who taking part in the again 9 first in her afternoon spherical, opened with a birdie and added one other on the sixteenth. She began her front-nine run with birdies on Nos.1 and a pair of, added one other on No.4, then made three straight on Nos. 6-8.
“I targeted very nicely and I am simply making an attempt to do my finest,” stated Ko, who broke the course document on the format that hosted a Drive On occasion final 12 months.
“Shot was very constant from the tee, from the second. I had quite a lot of good birdie probabilities, however I missed some putts.”
The 15-time LPGA Tour winner performed alongside top-ranked Nelly Korda (68-68) and Australian Minjee Lee (70-72) the primary two days.
“Actually enjoyable to play with Nelly and Minjee, after all,” Ko stated. “I am trying ahead to the weekend.
Enjoying in her Gulf Coast hometown, Korda was tied for thirteenth at six below after her second 68. She received the Drive On event on the course final 12 months for the primary of her seven 2024 victories.
Lee is even par after a 72.
Of the opposite Australians, Perth’s Hira Naveed adopted her opening 70 with a 68, to be tied 18th at 4 below.
Naveed is 2 forward of Gabriela Ruffels (72-68) and 4 in entrance of Steph Kyriacou (70-72).
Noh closed with a bogey on the par-3 ninth after birdieing 5 of the earlier six holes.
“Simply making an attempt to maintain it easy,” Noh stated. “Hitting fairways and quite a lot of greens by no means hurts, so simply attempt to hold doing the identical factor and hold the identical tempo and rhythm.”
The long-hitting Yin eagled the par-5 sixth on her again 9. She and Ko are solely gamers and not using a bogey.
“It is actually robust, truthfully,” Yin stated. “That is actually difficult. … Wind picks up and every little thing will get actually tight.
