Michelle Wie tees off at the LPGA Lotte Championship in Kapolei, Hawaii, Thursday. ( AFP-Yonhap)
KAPOLEI, Hawaii (AP) ― Angela Stanford adeptly handled the windy conditions to shoot an 8-under 64 on Thursday and take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the LPGA Lotte Championship.
Stanford took the lead early with five birdies in a row on the front nine and finished the day with eight birdies. The best round of the tournament so far left the five-time LPGA Tour winner at 8-under 136.
“Finally I got comfortable on these greens and it felt great,” Stanford said. “To see the ball go in that much is a lot of fun ... I needed a round like that.”
Just like the first round, the contenders played Day 2 at Ko Olina Golf Club with gusty winds, and that played into Stanford‘s hands.
“When I get into the wind ... for some reason my body just starts moving into the ball more and I tend to keep it lower,” Stanford said.
Hawaii favorite Michelle Wie was one stroke back after a 67 that included five birdies.
Wie hit a birdie on the par-5 13th hole that helped her maintain momentum.
“That putt was really, really, really fast. It was downwind, down grain, downhill and I just barely touched it and the crowd rolled that one in for sure,” Wie said.
Christie Kerr, a 16-time tour winner, shot a 66 and was tied for third in a group of four at 138. Among them was top-ranked Inbee Park, who shot a 68.
Anna Nordqvist, going for her third win of 2014, and 2012 Lotte champion Ai Miyazato both missed the cut.