GOLD CANYON AZ — Jenny Shin of South Korea made five straight birdies to complete her front nine. This helped her to a 5-under par 67 on Friday. She also shared the lead with Maddie Szeryk, Canada, and Moriya Jutanugarn, Thailand, after two rounds of LPGA Drive on Championship.
After a 67-yard opening round, Jutanugarn climbed the leaderboard with a 7-under 65 without a bogey that included an eagle as well as five birdies. Szeryk managed to put together a round that included six birdies and an eagle, and Shin used seven birides in order to offset two bogeys. Shin was playing at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club’s first full-field event for the year.
American Lilia Vu shot 6 under and was a stroke away from the lead. South Korea’s Na Rin An, and American Alison Lee were tied fifth at 10 under.
No. Jin Young Ko, who was ranked 3rd in Singapore two weeks ago, was tied for seventh at 9 under on this crowded leaderboard.
This event marks the debut the tour’s new cut policies. After 36 holes, the cutline will determine the top 65 players as well as ties who will advance to the weekend. The previous rounds were won by the top 70 players and tied players.
The cutline was at 3 under, with only 76 players moving on. Two of the major names that missed the cut were Anna Nordqvist from Sweden, three-time major winner, and Brook Henderson of Canada. Both were at 1 under.
