NEWS

Shin owns two-shot lead through 36 holes at Kingsmill Championship

By Associated Press
Published on
Shin owns two-shot lead through 36 holes at Kingsmill Championship

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- Jiyai Shin followed her tournament-record 9-under 62 with a 68 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead in the LPGA Tour's Kingsmill Championship.

The South Korean player had four birdies and a bogey -- her first of the week -- to finish two rounds at 12 under on Kingsmill's River Course. She won the last of her eight LPGA Tour titles in November 2010.

Shin kept a close eye on the scoreboard.

"I have to know my position, and I keep changing my plan each hole after I check the positions," Shin said. "I saw a lot of players play good today, so I think it will make for fun competition the next two days."

American Danielle Kang was second after a 64, the best score in the second round. The 19-year-old Kang won the U.S. Women's Amateur in 2010 and 2011.

Kang, who missed the cut in her last two tournaments, started the round on 10th hole, and had six birdies for a 6-under 29. Her lone bogey came on the par-5 third, but she bounced back with birdies on the fifth and seventh holes.

"I started off the day thinking just take it shot by shot. I've been approaching shots differently this whole week," Kang said. "I just am trying to see what works, and my brother taught me how to putt."

She had 26 putts the second round after taking 32 in the first. She says her brother wants 5 percent of what she wins this week. Kang says she'll go to 20 percent "if he can get me to shoot under par and go low."

Paula Creamer and Dewi Claire Schreefel were 10 under.

Schreefel, the first Dutch player to qualify for the LPGA Tour and a former NCAA individual champion at Southern California, shot her second straight 66, and Creamer had a 67.

Schreefel was one of 33 players who returned to the course Friday morning to complete the first round after play was suspended Thursday. She had two holes to play, and her day got off on the wrong foot when she was penalized two strokes for a rules infraction on the green of her first hole -- par-4 eighth.

Lexi Thompson (66) and Azahara Munoz (68) were 9 under, and second-ranked Stacy Lewis had a 65 to join Maria Hjorth (69) at 8 under.

Cristie Kerr, the winner in 2009 when the tour last played at Kingsmill, missed the cut with rounds of 72 and 74 -- managing only three birdies in the two days. She also once in 2005 at Kingsmill.

Michelle Wie also dropped out, shooting 75-71. She has missed nine cuts this season and has only one top-10 finish.

Leta Lindley played her final round on the tour Friday. The 40-year-old Lindley, retiring to become a full-time mom, shot 73-71.