A Lim Kim of South Korea will take a three-shot lead into the weekend after posting a three-under-par 69 within the second spherical of the Match of Champions on Friday in Orlando.Â
Kim led by 4 after the primary spherical and moved to 10 underneath on the midway mark of the LPGA’s season opener. Linn Grant of Sweden shot a 67 at Lake Nona Golf & Nation Membership and now stands at seven underneath, whereas world No 1 Nelly Korda additionally shot 67 to hitch a tie for third at six underneath.
Tied with Korda are Japan’s Rio Takeda and Eire’s Leona Maguire, every of whom posted 68 on Friday.
Kim, 29, carded seven birdies with out a bogey within the first spherical however was on extra of an journey on Friday, combining six birdies with three bogeys.
“Still good,” Kim stated. “Different (than Thursday), the wind was a different direction, but still fun.”
Kim gained the 2020 US Girls’s Open after which went winless on the LPGA Tour till final November, when she broke by means of to win the Lotte Championship.
Grant capped her spherical off with an eagle on the par-5 ninth gap. “I hit a four-hybrid into the green from like 220 yards,” she stated. “Then I just had a 12-footer and it went in.”
Grant, 25, might be within the combine on the weekend. Her solely LPGA victory got here on the 2023 Dana Open, however she is a six-time winner on the Women European Tour.
Korda, 26, made her solely bogey of the day on her fourth gap, the par-three thirteenth, to drop to even par for the match. She rebounded with consecutive birdies at 14 and 15, added one on the 18th and knocked in three extra coming house.
“I just capitalised a little bit more, made some more putts, hit a few more solid shots,” Korda stated. “(The course is) definitely playing a little softer and longer compared to years past.”
Korda was a seven-time winner final season and is aiming to kick off 2025 in the same profitable trend.
Maguire, 30, had a double bogey on the par-three13th however greater than made up for it by birdieing her ultimate 5 holes of the day.
“It’s my home course so I know these holes pretty well,” she stated. “I know I can birdie them all, so just a case of trying to give myself chances. Hit some really nice iron shots and didn’t leave myself very far for birdie.”
South Korea’s Jin Younger Ko (70) is alone in sixth at 5 underneath. Defending champion and world No 2 Lydia Ko of New Zealand posted a 67 to get to 4 underneath for the match in a tie for seventh with Lauren Coughlin (68).
