Australia’s Minjee Lee is in a share of second on the midway mark of the Ladies’s PGA Championship, three photographs behind chief Jeeno Thitikul.
Lee remained at -3 for the match as she shot a fair par second spherical of 72 to depart her well-placed to push for a 3rd profession main title throughout the weekend at a scorching Fields Ranch East exterior Dallas in Texas.
The 29-year-old from Perth calls Dallas house within the US, and the afternoon temperatures within the mid 30s that had many gamers melting, proved no impediment as she mounted a struggle again late within the day.
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Two bogeys on Lee’s first 9 after teeing off the tenth, threatened to derail her day, however back-to-back birdies on the second and third, adopted by one other birdie at par 3 eighth to offset a dropped shot on the sixth, stored her in contact with world No.2 Thitikul.
Lee improved on her first spherical of 69 off the tee by hitting ten of 14 fairways, however left herself leaning on her quick recreation typically as she hit 11 of 18 greens in regulation.
“Yeah, I felt like I began slightly bit shaky,” she stated.
“Turned in two-over and I knew there was a couple of alternatives on the entrance 9 to make a pair birdies.
“Clearly that type of little stretch I feel 7 — wait, 6, 7, 8, or 7, 8, 9, you may make birdies there.
“So, yeah, I simply tried to remain affected person on the market. It was actually windy and fairly onerous to even maintain the greens on a few of them.
“So, yeah, I simply tried to, you recognize, keep inside myself and simply be good and play to my benefits.”
Lee is joined three photographs off the lead by Japan’s Rio Takeda, the 22-year-old rising star who completed runner-up on the Ladies’s US Open three weeks in the past.
They’re one shot away from Lexi Thompson as solely seven gamers are beneath par after 36 holes.
World No.1 Nelly Korda isn’t one among them, she is +2 after a second spherical 74.
As Lee talked about, the wind created complications for a lot of the sphere, whereas tempo of play was additionally a difficulty.
Teams had been at instances ready roughly quarter-hour on a tee as the warmth and hard rounds slowed down play.
Lee doesn’t see these elements altering within the coming days, and managing will probably be an essential a part of a victory cost.
“I feel it’s going to be windy the entire weekend, too, so I imply, it’s in all probability going to be comparable route so I feel we type of know what to anticipate now,” she stated.
“You understand, completed the apply spherical and now match, so I feel will probably be whoever has one of the best restoration on this warmth and in addition who doesn’t make like tender bogeys possibly as a result of it’s been so sizzling and it’s a very sluggish spherical, so I feel you simply received to try to focus as greatest you may and I feel that’s what is admittedly — that’s the individual who’s going to on the finish of the week maintain the trophy.”
MinJee makes sturdy begin to PGA Champs | 00:59
Steph Kyriacou is the second-best positioned of the sturdy Australian contingent regardless of a three-over par second spherical of 75 that didn’t embody a single birdie.
The 24-year-old is +3 for the match, in a share of twenty third, one shot forward of world quantity eight Hannah Inexperienced.
The 2019 champion registered a second straight 74, however produced arguably the spotlight of the day with a hole-out eagle on the par 5 14th.
Inexperienced’s wedge took one bounce and went straight into the cup.
It got here at a much-needed time in addition to she double bogeyed the earlier gap, and the eagle gave her respiration room from the lower line.
Recent from her greatest ever end result on the LPGA Tour, tied seventh eventually week’s Meijer LPGA Basic, Karis Davidson will play the weekend after rounds of 74 and 75 depart her at +5.
The 26-year-old from the Gold Coast is enjoying a significant for the primary time in additional than a 12 months, having walked away from the game halfway by way of 2024, and returned house to finish a six-month TAFE course in addition to a two-week placement at an aged care facility.
Davidson went again to the US this 12 months, and has now made the lower in six straight tournaments, together with completed tied twenty sixth or higher in her final three begins.
Gabriela Ruffels, Grace Kim and Hira Naveed all made the lower on the quantity at +7.
Ruffels suffered an extremely nervy wait because the later teams got here in as she bogeyed her final two holes, and at one stage the projected lower line stood at +6.
The 25-year-old made an electrical begin to her second spherical with 4 birdies in her first 9 holes having teed off the tenth together with a hat-trick of them at 14, 15 and 16 to achieve the flip at +2.
However 5 second 9 bogeys resulted in her signing off on a spherical of 74, and scraping into the weekend.
Kim’s day was eerily comparable, albeit she struggled on the other 9.
The 24-year-old additionally was +2 on the flip, having bounced again from bogeys on the first and second, however a double bogey and three bogeys on the again 9 pushed her down the leaderboard, and she or he walked into the clubhouse having shot 78.
Like Kim and Ruffels, Naveed bogeyed the final however had completed sufficient.
The 27-year-old shot 76 for the day in a wild spherical that included an eagle on the par 5 ninth in addition to three double bogeys.
Naveed had missed the lower in 4 of her final 5 begins, and it’s the first time she has made the lower at a significant.
It was heartbreak for Robyn Choi (+8) as she birdied her penultimate gap to attract degree with Kim, Ruffels and Naveed, however like them, bogeyed the final, though not like them, it pushed her exterior of the lower line.
LPGA Tour rookie Cassie Porter (+10) was the one different of the 9 Australians to overlook the weekend.