Don’t look now but the world’s No. 1 is making her presence felt at the Women’s U.S. Open Championship.
After struggling to a 73 on Thursday, Lydia Ko lit up CordeValle on Friday with a six-under par 66 that pulled her within three shots of leader Sung Hyun Park at the halfway mark of the oldest ladies major.
Ko lapped her playing partners — Lexi Thompson and Brooke Henderson. Both continued their struggles and are three-over and 11 shots behind and virtually out of the running for the championship. Thompson shot 73, Henderson 71.
Ko had seven birdies on the day, five of them on the front nine that rocketed her up the leader board. Ko and Park tied for low round of the day.
Ko’s day didn’t start the way she wanted. She made bogey right out of the box at the first hole. “I didn’t have the greatest of starts, bogeying that first hole but it almost made me fight from there and made me say “hey, we can switch things around.” She hit the birdie switch after that, making five over the next eight holes to turn four-under.
Ko also admitted that playing in the morning was easier and that afternoon conditions over the final two rounds “will get firmer from here,” she added.
Like Ko, Park got her work done in the morning wave when the greens were a bit more receptive.
First round leader Mirim Lee found those afternoon conditons much different. After her 64 Thursday morning, she struggled over her final nine holes and wound up with a 74 and found herself at six-under par with Amy Yang.
