Taiwan’s Candie Kung shot a four-under par 68, in the second round of the Kia Classic of the LPGA tour in Carlsbad, California, on Friday, and was ranked 14th with a total of 142.
Kung played steadily on the second day of the first US stop of this season, taking four birdies on the third, fourth, 11th and 13th holes respectively and no bogey.
She was in 59th place with a two-over par in the first round.
Another Taiwanese player, Teresa Lu, who fired a two-under par 70 on Friday, shared 19th place with three others on one-under par 143.
Yet another Taiwanese player, Yani Tseng, who won the title in the Women’s Australian Open earlier this month, took birdies on the first and second holes, but got bogeys on the fourth and sixth holes and a double-bogey on the eighth hole.
She ended up in 62nd place with 148 and was counted among the 72 players who made the cut at four-over par.
The Kia Classic, which opened on Thursday, will finish today.
South Korea’s Hee Kyung Seo fired a five-under 67 on Friday to seize the lead, making herself right at home at La Costa.
Seo, the winner of 11 Korean LPGA titles in the past two years who was playing on a sponsor’s exemption, played without a bogey to post a 36-hole total of seven-under 137.
“If I get a win here, I can get a card for tournaments here, so that’s very big,” she said.
South Korea’s Kim In-kyung carded a 69 to lie a stroke adrift on 138, while American Michelle Wie headed a group on 139 after a 67.
Wie, who is seeking her second victory as a professional, was joined by compatriot Vicky Hurst (68) and South Koreans Kim Song-hee (68) and Lee Seon-hwa (71).
Overnight leader Na On Min stumbled to a 74 to fall into a tie for seventh at four under. A day after carding six birdies, she had three bogeys and a double bogey to go along with three birdies.
World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa of Mexico also struggled. She had four bogeys and a double bogey in a 75, falling into a tie for 27th, eight shots back.
Japan’s Ai Miyazato, the first LPGA Tour player in 44 years to sweep the first two events of a season, remained well off the pace, following a first-round 74 with a 72 to lie tied for 37th.
No LPGA player has won the first three tournaments in a season.
AP AND CNA, CAP CANA,
■CAP CANA
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Taiwan’s men’s golf player Lu Chien-soon fired 72 in the first round of the Cap Cana Championship in the Dominican Republic yesterday and was ranked 39th.
The championship will end today.
Nick Price and Chip Beck each shot a six-under 66 for a share of the lead on Friday after the first round of the Champions Tour’s US$1.6 million Cap Cana Championship.
Both Price and Beck had seven birdies and one bogey in their opening rounds at the 7,176-yard Punta Espada Golf Club.
Fred Couples, made an eight foot eagle putt on the par five No. 12 and birdied two other par fives in his round of 67.
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