AIG Women’s Open champion Lydia Ko moved within a shot of the halfway lead at the LPGA Tour’s Kroger Queen City Championship, showcasing her impressive form alongside several Solheim Cup stars.
In her first start since her major victory at St Andrews, Ko followed her opening-round 67 with a bogey-free 66 at TPC River’s Bend, setting the initial clubhouse target at 11 under. The world No. 3, who also claimed Olympic gold for New Zealand earlier this summer, capitalized on the par-five sixth and eagled the par-five eighth, adding three birdies over her final six holes.
However, her score was surpassed by Jeeno Thitikul, who birdied three of her last four holes to shoot back-to-back 66s and take a one-shot lead into the weekend. FM Championship winner Haeran Ryu sits two strokes back in third.
“I just wanted to ensure I was giving myself plenty of opportunities for birdies today,” Ko said. “With so many low scores out there, it feels like you need to make a lot of birdies. I believe that if I keep giving myself chances, eventually the putts will drop.”
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Among the 11 Solheim Cup competitors in the field, Anna Nordqvist and Albane Valenzuela also made strong showings with rounds of 65 and 66, respectively, both sitting within four strokes of the lead. World No. 1 Lydia Ko is just one shot further back after a second-round 70.
Overnight leader Ashleigh Buhai fell to six under after a one-over 73, while Ireland’s Leona Maguire is in the mix at six under following rounds of 67 and 71.
England’s Charley Hull, Europe’s top scorer at the Solheim Cup, is eight strokes off the lead after consecutive rounds of 70.
Rose Zhang, who excelled with a 4-0 record last week, was the only Solheim Cup player to miss the cut, finishing with a late double bogey for a total of 71, one shot shy of the weekend.
