Brittany Lincicome of the US fired a three-under 69 to vault into the lead after the second round of the LPGA Sybase Classic on Friday.
Lincicome moved to an 11-under 133 total for a two-stroke lead over Norway’s Suzann Pettersen and Oh Ji-young of South Korea. Pettersen shot a two-under 70, while Oh fired a 69 at the Upper Montclair Country Club course.
“I really had no expectations today, just to keep it under par,” said Lincicome, whose 11-under is the lowest 36-hole score this year on the LPGA Tour. “I was hitting it good yesterday, when I went to the range this morning I felt like I was hitting it really well. I hit 17 greens today, which is pretty phenomenal.”
PHOTO: AP
First-round leader Helen Alfredsson of Sweden stumbled to four-over 76 and is tied for fourth at six-under with Wendy Doolan (68). Alfredsson shot a career-best 62 on Thursday, but her second round included a rare missed tap-in on the fourth hole.
Australia’s Karrie Webb and Americans Michelle Wie and Paula Creamer were in a group at five-under.
Three-time defending champion Lorena Ochoa shot her second consecutive 71.
Taiwan’s Candie Kung followed up her first-round 71 with a three-under 69 to stand joint 11th on four-under 140. Compatriots Amy Hung and Yani Tseng are in a group with Ochoa at two-under 142. Teresa Lu withdrew after the first round.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
■TEXAS OPEN
REUTERS, HOUSTON, TEXAS
American journeyman Paul Goydos overcame an opening bogey with six birdies to card a five-under 65 on Friday and take a three-stroke lead after two rounds of the Texas Open in San Antonio.
Goydos, whose opening 63 tied him with three-times winner Justin Leonard for the first-round lead, stood at 12-under 128 at La Cantera Golf Club’s Resort Course.
Tied for second place on 131 were Leonard, after a 68, fellow Americans Ted Purdy (67), John Mallinger (64) and Scott Sterling (63), as well as Sweden’s Mathias Gronberg (65).
Four strokes off the pace at 132 were Fredrik Jacobson of Sweden, Briton Brian Davis and American Kent Jones.
■IRISH OPEN
AFP, DROGHEDA, IRELAND
Ireland’s Shane Lowry became only the second amateur to lead a European Tour event at the halfway stage as he stormed to the top of the leaderboard on home turf at the Irish Open on Friday.
“It’s like a dream really — when do I wake up?” Lowry said after taking a two-stroke lead over England’s Robert Rock and Welshman Jamie Donaldson.
It would also have broken the course record, but for the fact that just over an hour earlier Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell blitzed an incredible 61.
■MAEKYUNG OPEN
AFP, SEOUL
South Korea’s Bae Sang-moon battled to an even-par 70 under rainy conditions to take the third round at the Maekyung Open yesterday.
Bae’s three-day total of five-under 211 placed him tied for the lead with compatriots Kim Dae-hyun and Ted Oh at the Nam Seoul Country Club.
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