New Zealander Lydia Ko hit a six-under-par 66 to open a five-shot lead at the CME Group Tour Championship, an LPGA Tour tournament in Naples, Florida.
Lydia Ko, results
Ko was leading after the first round and once again posted the lowest lap on Friday, with six birdies and no bogeys at Tiburon Golf Club to hit 131, 13 under through two rounds.
Her closest competitor is Korean Hyo Joo Kim of South Korea, whose 69 brought her to a -8 total. A win would give the 25-year-old Ko a treble of prizes: the all-season points race that determines Rolex Player of the Year, the biggest prize money of the whole season, and the Vare Trophy for the highest score.
it’s from the season. “I knew going into the day that it could be tough. But at the same time, because I played really solid the back nine, I knew if I made any mistakes, there would be birdie options,” Ko said.
“That’s the goal.” for me this week: don’t let a hole or a shot throw me off,” he added. Ko made her first two birdies this Friday on the sixth (par 5) and seventh (par 4) holes. She then added four more to the last nine, including the two pair 5s, the 14th and 17th.
For her part, Kim registered four birdies and a bogey this Friday, with consecutive birdies on the par 3 of the 16th and the par 5 of the 17th that helped her get ahead in the fight for second place. Tied for third at 7 under are Japan’s Nasa Hataoka (67 on Friday), Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist (69), Nelly Korda (69) and Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh (70).
Korda, the former world No. 1, made four birdies and a bogey in the first half of her round before the final nine holes. Lydia Ko, born Go Bo-gyeong, is a New Zealand golfer of South Korean descent. She became No. 1 in the world rankings on February 2, 2015 at the age of 17 9 months and 8 days, making her the youngest golfer, man or woman, to reach the top of the rankings.
