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Lydia Ko is optimistic for the decisive final two rounds after holding the LPGA lead at Gainbridge with her second round 69 on Friday (Saturday New Zealand time).
The kiwi golfer tops the leaderboard with a low par 10 midway through the latest LPGA Tour event at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, Florida.
The 23-year-old’s closest rival remains American Nelly Korda, a shot back in second place at nine-under, who cut Ko’s two-shot lead in half from day one.
Julio Aguilar / Getty Images
Lydia Ko is a shot away from the field after her second round at the Gainbridge LPGA.
The former world No. 1’s last victory tour was nearly three years ago at the LPGA Mediheal Championship in April 2018.
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“I felt like I played pretty solid, but there was a stretch where there were some holes where I couldn’t hit my tee shot on the fairways,” he said of his second round.
“I’m still happy to have thrown three under par and there are a lot of positives on the weekend.
“My goal is to make sure I hit every shot with commitment and be aggressive with that.”
Ko has won 15 times on the LPGA Tour, including two major victories in 2015 (The Evian Championship) and 2016 (ANA Inspiration), after his first win in 2012, at age 15, but a 16-year title has eluded him. As he slid through the world classifications.
His best result in 2020 was a tie for second at the Marathon LPGA Classic last June.
Ko, the 29th in the world, set the pace in her first round in Orlando with seven under 65 and recovered from an early bogey on Day 10 on the second day with four birdies from 12-17.
Two bogeys on the 18th and 3rd opened the door for Norda, but Ko’s two birdies on the 4th and 9th assured him that he would start the third round on Saturday (Sunday, New Zealand time) first.
However, Norda’s four birdies in his last eight holes keep the pressure on Ko, who shot three-under in his second round.
American Ryan O’Toole is third in the standings at eight under par and the rest of the field is at least two shots behind.
