NAPLES, Fla. (AP) - Top-ranked Jin Young Ko took the lead into the weekend in the LPGA Tour s CME Group Tour Championship, putting herself in position to win the season money title in only four events.
Ko shot a 5-under 67 on Friday in chilly and breezy conditions at Tiburon Golf Club to take a one-stroke lead over defending champion Sei Young Kim and 2018 winner Lexi Thompson in the season-ending event. Before when I play in KLPGA it was really cold, so I hate cold weather to play golf, but right now I love it, said Ko, who spent most of the season in South Korea.
Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Lydia Ko was well off the pace in the opening round of the final LPGA tournament of the year.
A promising run of performances by Lydia Ko looks like coming to an end at her last tournament of the year. Ko bogeyed four of her first seven holes in the CME Group Tour Championship opening round in Florida on Friday morning (NZ time) to fall a long way off the early pace. The New Zealander recovered slightly, making three birdies but dropped another shot on her penultimate hole to finish with a two-over par 74 which left her tied in 59th place.
“Like today I just came in saying, I m going to try and play the best I can with a lot of confidence, and I was.” Ko shot a scintillating seven-under 65 to improve a whopping 48 places, moving from 59th into a two-way tie for 11th. She made seven birdies, five on the back nine, to be five-under after two rounds, just four strokes behind leader Jin Young Ko. “I got off to a good start,” she said. “You know, having lots of birdie opportunities I think that was really key. “Even though it was getting a little breezy at the start of the day, I set up a lot of good chances for birdies, so it makes it a lot less stressful, I think.
Golf: Lydia Ko claims second round honours in latest LPGA tournament
18 Dec, 2020 11:00 PM
2 minutes to read
Ko led all players with her seven-under score which included seven birdies - three in the final three holes of her opening nine.
Video / LPGA
Ko led all players with her seven-under score which included seven birdies - three in the final three holes of her opening nine.
Video / LPGA
NZ Herald
Lydia Ko has stormed into contention in the latest stop on the LPGA Tour after firing a tournament-best second round on Saturday morning.
After recording a disappointing two-over par 74 in the opening round, Ko flashed the talent that has netted her over $NZ15m career earnings as part of a blistering round of 65 today.
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