LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ingrid Lindblad took a share of the lead into the weekend at El Caballero Country Club in only the fourth start of her rookie season on the LPGA Tour.
Lindblad shot a career-best 9-under 63 in cool conditions Friday afternoon to join Ashleigh Buhai atop the leaderboard at 13-under 131 in the JM Eagle LA Championship.
“I feel like if you put the work in, like eventually it’s going to show up,” said Lindblad, the 25-year-old former LSU star from Sweden. “Obviously, it’s hard to tell exactly when it’s going to show up, but, obviously, I feel like I’ve been working on good things in my golf game that I need to get better at. After a day like this, it shows that it paid off.”
With the temperature only climbing into the low 60s on an overcast day, Lindblad had 10 birdies and a bogey on the first 14 holes. She parred the final four.
“I thought I read the greens really well,” Lindblad said. “It wasn’t just like tap-ins for par. It was 10-footers, 17-footers. I read the greens really well. Thought I had good speed on the greens. Really just one putt that ran away from me and I three-putted it.”
Buhai had a share of the lead for the second straight day after opening with a 63 to match Yan Liu. The 35-year-old South African player parred the final five holes Friday in a 68.
“It’s always difficult to follow a low one, but I’m pretty happy how I played today,” said Buhai, the 2022 Women’s British Open winner. “Pins were a little trickier, but still some that were gettable. Missed a few more greens, but proud of how I hung in there. Made good up-and-downs to keep me in it today.”
Minjee Lee was 12 under after a 65 in the morning. She won the 2019 tournament at Wilshire Country Club.
“I think just being in the right spot off the tee and, obviously, just hitting good iron shots into the greens,” Lee said. “Some of the greens are a little bit bigger, there are bigger landing spots.”
The tournament is being played at El Caballero because of renovations at Wilshire. It will return to Wilshire next season.
Liu had a 70 to drop into a tie for fourth at 11 under with Lauren Coughlin (67) and Miyu Yamashita (65).
Top-ranked Nelly Korda was 9 under after a 68 in her final start before her title defense next week in Houston in the major Chevron Championship.
“In the middle of the front nine just had a little bit after hiccup with kind of a silly double and a bogey to back it up,” Korda said. “So, fought my way back to even through nine and kind of played some solid golf on the back nine.”
Second-ranked Jeeno Thitikul also was 9 under, shooting 67.
Two-time defending champion Hannah Green was 8 under after a 67.
Asterisk Talley, the 16-year-old Californian playing on a sponsor exemption missed the cut by a stroke, shooting 69-72. The recent runner-up at the , she was second last year at El Caballero in the U.S. Girls Junior.
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