South Korea’s I.K. Kim seized a two-stroke lead on Friday when play was halted by darkness in the second round of the thunderstorm-disrupted LPGA US Women’s Open. Kim, who has yet to make a bogey in an event notorious for difficult conditions, opened with a one-under 70 and was three-under with four holes to complete when play was called off. “I had pretty good putting going on. That’s why I think I scored well today,” Kim said.
Storms kept players running for cover at times for the second day in a row at the par-71 Broadmoor course in the third major championship of the women’s golf season. Only 33 of 156 players managed to finish their second rounds before sunset, leaving the rest to return Saturday morning.
A total of 66 women have yet to begin their second round, including Japan’s Ai Miyazato and Mika Miyazato, Australian Karrie Webb and Sweden’s Maria Hjorth who were all on one-under after their opening 18 holes. Kim opened her first round with a birdie at the par-4 10th and followed with 17 pars, then returned to the course and birdied the par-4 sixth, par-5 ninth and par-4 11th holes then parred through the 14th before darkness fell.
Two strokes off the pace and still on the course were Americans Stacy Lewis, who had two holes remaining, and Wendy Ward, who had three holes left. Also at two-under for the tournament was US amateur Amy Anderson, who had not started her second round. In addition to the four global stars yet to tee off in a group at one-under for the event, the pack sharing fifth
included American Paula Creamer, who had two holes remaining. Lewis, who seeks her second major title of the year after taking the Kraft Nabisco in April for her first career LPGA triumph, opened with a three-under par 68 to grab a one-stroke lead after completion of the opening round.
