KAPOLEI, Hawaii — Lydia Ko went low once more, capturing a 9-under 63 at Kapolei Golf Membership on Thursday to take a three-stroke lead halfway by the second spherical on the Lotte Championship.
Ko, a two-time main champion who’s looking for her first win since 2018, is 24 underneath par her final three rounds. She practically caught Patty Tavatanakit with a final-round 62 final week on the yr’s first main, the ANA Inspiration.
Ko had an opening-round 67 at Kapolei and was 14 underneath on the midpoint. The 23-year-old from New Zealand made 9 birdies in her bogey-free second spherical and wanted simply 24 putts.
With half the sector nonetheless on the course, Ko’s closest pursuers had been fourth-ranked Nelly Korda (68) and Luna Sobron Galmes of Spain, who had 10 birdies and shot 64. Sobron Galmes performs totally on the Girls European Tour and is ranked 233rd.
A Lim Kim, who gained the U.S. Ladies’s Open in December, shot 64 and was tied with Brianna Do (66) at 10 underneath.
Tadd Fujikawa, who at 16 made the minimize within the PGA Tour’s 2007 Sony Open in Hawaii, is Do’s caddie this week on his dwelling course.
Seventeen-year-old Rose Zhang (68), the world’s top-ranked beginner, was 5 photographs again. Brooke Henderson, the 2018 and 2019 Lotte winner, was six again after her second 68. Final yr’s event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.